Dan CastellanetaThe Simpsons: Season 17

I've analyzed the heck out of the show for the past few years and things haven't changed much since last season, so here's a brief rundown. There are always just a few too many gags getting in the way, and too few of them make me really laugh. The plots are getting better, but they still have that annoying tendency to do a lot of irrelevant stuff in the first act without ever going back to it. It just comes off as a waste of time, and the main plot almost always feels rushed as a result. (They could really take some hints from American Dad here.)I haven't found anything particularly wrong with the characterization; it seems relatively strong here. But other than that and the simple absence of awful gags, I don't have a whole lot else good to say about the season as a whole.But on an episode-by-episode basis:Bonfire of the Manatees: Set the standard for Season 17. A harmlessly dull episode with a plot that just never really interested me. In retrospect, it also feels strangely similar to "Regarding Margie" and "This Is Your Wife"...The Girl Who Slept Too Little: This episode had a lot of strong points, but they needed to push it a little further to make it a really solid episode. Lisa's animated fantasies were a nice touch, and the plot had a pretty good amount of focus. There were also some very good gags, although some other gags were just duds -- Homer's really unexpected "That's bull[bleep], man!" was one of the good ones. It'll be a good watch in reruns.Milhouse of Sand and Fog: Hmm, it seems like some of the season's strongest episodes were in the first half. Granted, this was still a pretty average episode, but I can at least remember it fairly well. The plot, despite its loose ends, was fairly well focused.Treehouse of Horror XVI: Looking at the descriptions, I really have trouble remembering this one. I remember thinking that "Bartificial Intelligence" was the best segment, but "Survival of the Fattest" and "I've Grown a Costume On Your Face" escape me. All I know is it wasn't anything special.Marge's Son Poisoning: Another one that was quite good. Probably best of the season. Marge and Bart were characterized pretty well, and the plot was resolved satisfactorily, along with some very good gags.See Homer Run: This one really fell apart. I remember actually liking some of the first act, and the separate plots interwove relatively well, but once we got to Homer in a Salamander costume it was kind of just like "Why bother?"The Last of the Red Hat Mamas: This was an overall solid episode. Not amazingly funny, but it had its moments. Also, Lisa learning to speak Italian was a nice tie-in to the next episode, though not quite as nice as it could've been.The Italian Bob: This one definitely didn't work for me. Just another waste of Sideshow Bob, IMO.Simpsons Christmas Stories: A very good Christmas special. I think they've actually been getting better at these. Well, then again, I remember finding the middle segment quite dull, but it definitely redeemed itself in the third act with the clever musical bit. I just wish that part had been longer.Homer's Paternity Coot: A completely forgettable episode.We're On The Road To D'ohwhere: Some good Bart mischief, some very bad (and long) gags, and overall just an episode that's bearable in reruns but is really nothing special.My Fair Laddy: This episode was murdered by the Status Quo. The show doesn't HAVE to get old after over 300 episodes, but the writers are keeping it that way by refusing to advance it at all. No, I didn't want Willie to totally change and stay that way, but it would've been nice for them not to need to completely go back on everything that happened in the episode.The Seemingly Never-Ending Story: Not much funnier than the rest of the season, but it was very clever, so I was entertained.Bart Has Two Mommies: Despite the fact that it involved Bart getting kidnapped by an ape and Homer getting into silly situations with the ape, this was actually a very good episode. The last one of the season, with the possible exception of the evolution episode (it's only a week old, so I'm not sure). Ned Flanders became a real character again. While the first act was still more disconnected than I'd prefer, it connected to the plot a bit better than usual.Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife: A very interesting episode since it was guest-written by Ricky Gervais. Maybe if they'd spent less time making fun of Fox's reality shows for the MILLIONTH time at the beginning, it would've been better. But in actuality the rest of the episode also should've just been, well, better. It was decent, though. It actually seemed to go somewhere. Just not far enough.Million Dollar Abie: Sweet crap, I might as well never have even seen this one. This one should've been axed as soon as "Grampa becomes a bullfighter" was suggested. It could've been much worse, but it was still pretty much a stinker, including one of the most tacked-on moral dilemmas of all time. "Grampa, I don't want you to kill bulls!" "Hmm, maybe she's right! OR IS SHE? I'll change my mind at a more convenient time so it actually seems like we have a climax to the episode! Wait, what was the main plot again?"Kiss, Kiss Bang Bangalore: Went down the toilet once Homer thought he was a god. That was just plain dumb. Surprisingly, this episode actually had a good plot resolution, but it was like the icing on one of those awful wedding cakes.The Wettest Stories Ever Told: Not bad as far as three-segment episodes are concerned, but it really feels like they're reaching now.Girls Just Want To Have Sums: It approached decency, but it wound up sort of fizzling out into nothing. Once again there was a REALLY sudden change of heart at the end, and once again it seems like the writers didn't even bother trying to bring the plot to some sort of resolution. Like, Lisa made a speech or something, but it didn't really do anything.Regarding Margie: Would it be hackneyed to say this was a "forgettable" episode? Yes, but I'll do it anyway.The Monkey Suit: A bit preachy, and a bit too focused on Lisa... but at least it HAD focus. The writers managed to at least somewhat keep their political bludgeons in check, unlike the whole "Democrats go to prison" ordeal in "Bart-Mangled Banner".Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play: An appropriate season finale in that it was just as forgettable as most of the season's other episodes.

If you're looking at Season 17 of The Simpsons, chances are you already know what you're getting content-wise, so this review will focus specifically on the packaging - which has been criticized for various reasons ever since the first "Homer Head" was released as part of Season 6.The packaging for Season 17 is the same "accordion-like" material that we've gotten since Season 11, but it's getting better. Whereas the cardboard of Season 11 basically ensured your discs would get scratched and Season 14 was packaged so tightly that it was almost impossible to get the discs out at all, Season 17 finally finds a happy medium between the two. The inside cardboard is smooth and of excellent quality, but also not too tight. The discs can be easily removed and after taking all 4 discs in and out of the packaging multiple times, I'm happy to report that none of them have a single scratch.While I still preferred the DVD boxes of seasons 1-5, Season 17 is the best packaging I've seen for a while (although I don't own 15 or 16 so can't speak for those two seasons) and for once, you shouldn't have to worry about your discs getting scratched. Hallelujah!

Episodes- Disc 1:1. The Bonfire of the Manatee's2. The Girl Who Slept Too Little3. Millhouse of Sand and Fog4. Treehouse of Horror XVI5. Marge's Son Poisoning6. See Homer Run7. The Last of the Red Hat MamasDisc 2:8. The Italian Bob9. Simpsons Christmas Stories10. Homer's Paternity Coot11. We're on the Road to D'Ohwhere12. My Fair Laddy13. The Seemingly Neverending Story14. Bart Has Two Mommies15. Homer Simpson, This Is Your WifeDisc 3:16. Million-Dollar Abie17. Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore18. The Wettest Stories Ever Told19. Girls Just Want to Have Sums20. Regarding Margie21. The Monkey Suit22. Marge and Homer Turn a Couple PlaySeason 17 does not disappoint! Still such a funny, original show!!!! Only complaint(very minor) is the disc menu(blu-ray) it's so different from most other menu's and hard to navigate at first. Hopefully they'll change it for season 18.

The Simpsons Season 17 on Blu Ray for starters had a great and sleak packageing with no cons to be seen inside it was organized and in order with 3 50gb Dual Layer Blu Ray Discs the content itself was over 400 minutes of non stop laughs it was 22 episodes and was jammed pack with various bonus features and bonus episodes 2 of which (Blu Ray Exclusives) are Simpsons Classics "Krusty Gets Busted" Season 1 and "Cape Feare" Season 5 the season is played in a high fidelety 1080p HDOVERALL: a simpsons must have i rate it 5 stars and a A+

Love the Simpsons but almost every episode they break into song, not that funny, the Simpsons cant sing sorry. Family guy they can sing but that's a different review.. There is a bonus episode "the man who grew too much" from season 25, 13th episode (added a star for that). the packaging is the slide in the side sleeve type, not as good as the older seasons with the plastic "click in-out" holders. WHAT HAPPENED TO SEASON 18 AND 19??? and NO Simpsons on DVD at all Season 21 and UP, you can ONLY stream it? That Blows!!

In great condition.

The season ended up being the final one released on DVD. While digital episodes of The Simpsons are in many places, specifically the FXX channel and app, I still long to own each season on a physical media where I can watch when I want, without the fear or concern of any licenses being pulled or expiring. I wish they would have made DVD box sets for Seasons 18 and 19, but this season will serve as the ending of one on a long time standard of DVD releases.