User Reviews

It's always interested me how different the Simpsons were their first several episodes than they were for the number of seasons from season 2 or three onward until they hit their unfortunate 9th season when they first began their nosedive that they never recovered from when they hit that awful "Principal and the pauper" episode. Seasons 2-9 where they were the best and most familiar were the mainstream seasons.

In "There's no disgrace like home", there are a number of very interesting differences from the more familiar Simpsons we loved for years. First, there's Homer's red striped shirt that he wore only in this episode, then never again. I could immediately recognize this episode from seeing it on a TV for two seconds, 50 yards away because of that shirt. Then there's Homer's personality, the way he was the first season as the angry, short tempered stern disciplinarian that got so easily annoyed by the other members of his family, especially Bart. I like to call him here the " Bart!!" Homer and the "why you little..!" Homer, where in mainstream seasons he became the "mmm...donuts" Homer and the "D'oh" Homer. In this episode, Homer was the stern parent who got easily embarrassed by his family's antics at Mr.Burn's picnic and it was Homer who pawned the TV to get his family therapy. And it was Marge who got drunk at the picnic and it was Marge who was more la de da about how her family behaved. In the mainstream seasons, Homer and Marge's roles have totally been reversed. Just look at the episode "The mysterious voyage of Homer" where Marge makes Homer promise not to get drunk at the chili fest, and we see a flashback of Homer at their last event drunk and naked inside a cotton candy machine. That was the episode about the hallucinogenic peppers. Anyway, in "there's no disgrace", there are other differences too besides Homer and Marge. Lisa acts just as bratty as Bart here where she snaps at Homer " why can't we have a family meeting when you're watching TV"? Lisa hadn't become the moral, well behaved, brainy little bookworm yet. In mainstream episodes, Lisa and/ or Marge would be the ones always calling family meetings and trying to get everyone to act more civilized. There are other differences here too including the way other residents of Springfield look in this episode in comparison to mainstream episodes. Mo has black hair instead of blue, Barney has blonde hair instead of brown. And there are many other Springfield residents we've all gotten so familiar with that haven't even been introduced to the show yet, such as Chief Wiggum ( Eddie and Lou are here but no Wiggum), Lenny and Carl, Apu, Krusty, Side show Mel (He doesn't get introduced onto the show until after the first sideshow Bob episode later this season), Kent Brockman, Lionel Hutz, Dr Nick, Comic book guy, etc. Nevertheless, this episode was still entertaining. It, along with the other early eps, always made me laugh out loud when they first came out when I was around 14 years old. And the scenes in Dr. Marvin Monroe's office will always be classic. Oh, look out for the gag of the "perfect" family from the picnic now sitting in Dr. Monro's office all looking upset. Writing this review has now made me want to go out and get a frosty chocolate milkshake.

After a Peanuts-like, Simpsons-styled Christmas special, an episode that delved into Bart's psyche (along with "The Simpsons'" relationship to intellectualism) and an episode showing us a bit more about Homer's personality, it was time to look further into the Simpsons relationship to each other as a family unit.

The family has to attend one of Mr. Burns' annual, mandatory company picnics, and doing so, in addition to observing different kinds of behavior from his family at home, makes Homer despondent. He wonders why they can't be like other families, like the ones who ride off from the picnic in glee, with exemplary etiquette, while Heaven shines a special light on them and guides them home.

As they leave the picnic, the Simpsons instead turn into demons and ride through a desolate, Hellish landscape (in one of the first completely surreal sequences of the show, promising the many marvelously hallucinogenic side-trips to come in the series, and even more literally foreshadowing the Halloween specials). After the introduction (without title or other identification) of Itchy and Scratchy to the series, and while Homer is sitting at the bar of an oddly black-haired Moe, Homer sees a commercial for Dr. Marvin Munro's Family Therapy Center and decides to--horror of horrors--hock the television so they can have a session.

It's worth noting that as in episode 3, Homer's Odyssey, this is still not quite Homer as most of us would imagine him down the road. We'd usually think of someone else in the family--either Lisa or Marge, probably--becoming upset that the Simpsons are so unruly. But again, it may be that we've forgotten about Homer's complexities as much as that creator Matt Groening and the writers have changed his personality over the years.

Of course, things do not go as planned at Dr. Munro's. The Simpsons are too dysfunctional for that. Throughout the episode, we're treated to some of the funniest family dynamics of the series, including the family's typical manner of eating dinner and their response to quickly drawing what's bothering them for the psychiatrist (the latter event is also a great opportunity to note just how subtle the show can get--look closely at the differences in the drawings, considering each character's personality and abilities). The family is so dysfunctional that even the normally well-behaved and intellectual one, Lisa, goes off the edge many times--joining Bart in a funny pushing match, goofing off in an intellectual way at Mr. Burns' fountain, and gleefully engaging in the mayhem at Munro's office.

But Groening and the writers cleverly slip in a very benevolent and understanding moral of the story in the end--they show that as screwed up as they may be in some ways, the Simpsons are really a very happy family with a tight bond who function well as a unit. They just don't function in socially normative ways much of the time. The family who earlier slipped off into Heaven did so to emphasize the myth of that kind of family. The Simpsons tend to triumph, happily, in their own manner, just like most real families do.

When the family misbehaves at the power plant picnic, Homer grows concerned that his family is too dysfunctional and proceeds to put everyone in to family therapy with shocking results (pun intended).

As mentioned, this first season episode is a tad jarring for modern Simpsons fans to watch. Almost the entire family (with the exception of Bart, who was really the only one with a defined personality by this point) is acting out of character. Homer's concern about his family's behavior seems more like something expected from Marge, especially seeing as he's willing to pawn the family's TV set to pay for the therapy sessions. Marge getting drunk at the picnic is more like something that Homer would do. And Lisa seems more like a female Bart and is almost as bratty as he is.

With this in mind, the therapy session is clearly the major highlight of the episode. It's also the first episode where Bart utters the immortal line, "Don't have a cow", Mr. Burns first says, "Release the hounds", and it's the first appearance of Itchy and Scratchy, so it features some significance in Simpsons history.

I continue this string of reviews once again by repeating myself, this season of the Simpsons has a certain charm to it! It can only be the certain combination of animation style, strange yet recognisable voices and more wholesome plot lines, like this one that make for one amazing viewing experience.

There's No Disgrace Like Home was a pretty good Simpsons episode. It's plot is like a modern day kid cartoon episode. Nothing inappropriate ( Unlike Home's Night Out ), and it has a pretty basic plot. This was probably Dr. Marvin Monroe's most important episode ever, and I got to agree with The Simpsons creators about Marvin. Fortunately Marvin's part was the best part of the episode. In all this is a decent Season 1 episode, not my favorite Season 1 but not my least favorite. If the Simpsons stayed like this for the rest of the show, then this would be a classic episode. But compared to the Golden Age Simpsons this episode is pretty bad in comparison. I would give this episode a 7.0 out of 10.

A memorable episode which explores the Simpsons' attitudes to each other in a funny and dysfunctional way. This episode had many firsts as well, for example, Bart says "don't have a cow", The Itchy and Scratchy Show and Mr Burns threatens to release the hounds. A very good episode with memorable moments and fantastic humour!

The fourth episode of Season 1 in the Simpsons is a solid entry in the series. But I was comparing this episode to the modern Simpsons and this seems more....different. I think the creators were testing out different personalities for our favorite dysfunctional family. But nonetheless, this is still a fun episode that has some funny moments and by far my favorite moment is the actual shock therapy that takes place in the episode.

This episode, "There's No Disgrace Like Home", has Homer realizing at Mr. Burn's picnic that his family is not a very good family so he decides to sell the television in order to pay for therapy for him and his family.

Overall, this is a solid episode that has some funny moments. But this is a significant episode because we hear Burns say for the first time, "Release the hounds." Plus we get to meet Itchy and Scratchy for the first time. This is a pretty good and very watchable episode. I rate this episode 8/10.

I think this is the funniest episode so far. There are glimmers of potential here hinting at how great the show will eventually become.

This time we examine the Simpsons family as a whole unit. I love the segments where perfect idealised families are contrasted to the Simpsons.

It's interesting that at this early stage it's actually Homer fighting to save the family by selling their TV. Very out of character for him.

Ultimately the message seems to be that it's them against the world. Although they are far from perfect, they bond and find common ground over the things that others would judge as being undesirable. Such as shovelling in food and overdosing on television while constantly bickering. I can definitely relate more to this reality, as I'm sure most families can which is why the show became so successful.

I particularly enjoyed Marge's post-punch bacchanal.

We also get a bunch of great Mr Burns moments. Even though he doesn't really conform to the character of Mr Burns that the show will later develop.

This isn't my favourite episode from S1 so far (I'm watching them again on DVD, many for the first time), but it does feature the shock therapy scene that's become classic.

I agree with other reviewers, it is a bit jarring to see the characters acting out of character from how we know them to be now, but back then they had no idea the show would get past a year, let alone 31.

On it's own merits, and certainly up against modern standards, this is a good episode.

I like the bit where they zapped each other and drained all the power.

After a bad experience meeting Mr Burns, Homer insists the family goes into therapy.

This is a strong early episode that satirises the dysfunctional side of families and the influence of the television upon life.

There are plenty of memorable moments such as the awkward day spent at the Burns residence with Homer trying to avoid embarrassment, plus the entire family spying through the windows of other houses, and of course the famous shock therapy scene.

I can identify with a lot (not all) of the aspects of family interactions portrayed in this episode as there are a lot of home truths still to be found in it. I think for the twenty first century the hold of the TV has given way to general screen time but it is equally as relevant as what we see here.

One thing my girlfriend and I insisted on doing when we became parents was to eat together at the table away from the television with no phones or tablets in reach. This came from our own experiences growing up eating from trays on our laps in the sofa.

The message here for me is that you cannot pretend you or your family are something you are not, you either accept who you are or make the effort to really change.

This, to me, establishes the current dysfunctional family feeling that the Simpsons come to have, whilst still maintaining a side plot that is able to build the world of Springfield, as well as the main characters.

Mr. Burns picnic makes Homer realize that their family is messed up. After they are victimized by the evil employer, Home decides to fix the family. He turns to a television psychologist who guarantees success in improving family relationships. There are many great bits, but the shock therapy one is quite good. We also have the beginnings of some stuff that will become staples in the future. Itchy and Scratchy make their debuts as super-violent cartoon characters.