No, it's not the greatest episode of the series, but there aren't many that show us the dear, vulnerable side of Homer and run with it as far as this one does.
After unwittingly eating a poisonous dish at a Japanese restaurant, Homer is told that he only has 24 hours to live. He makes a list of things he wants to do, but things don't go exactly as planned. What could very easily break the series' comedy and irreverent humor instead turns out some great moments like Homer's home video for Maggie. The video, made to show her the kind of man her father was, ends with Homer losing his temper and scratching his butt after being interrupted by a phone call.
In this episode, we get to see Homer at his most genuine and best, truly caring for his family and friends, all with the classic Simpsons irreverence and comedy running through the background. It all ends so poignantly as Homer prefers to go alone, in his robe, sitting on a reclining chair, facing the night sky outside his window, listening to the bible on cassette by Larry King. It's a scene of such emotional gravity that The Simpsons may never achieve it again. That's not even mentioning the great antithetical credits gag that perfectly sums up the character and entire episode.
However, it's such an odd episode that it's difficult to call it the penultimate series' best. Homer is forced to act more honest under the circumstances, and many other characters go out of their way to allow him the necessary consolation. You won't really see the dull, happy-go- lucky doughnut lover here, nor the dysfunctional family dynamics, but that's the magic of an episode like this: characters can act out of character so long as it's both dramatic and amusing. Sure, why not? It's an excellent episode that shines through as one of the series' best, no matter how off-kilter it may be.
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