Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire

I remember hearing about this special back in the third grade, "The Simpsons was the best cartoon, and you just had to see it!" Unfortunately, we didn't get Fox in my little Idaho town. Finally, when we did get Fox, I started my weekly ritual of visiting the Simpsons every Thursday and then on Sundays.

This is a solid Christmas special. It's a more heartfelt episode compared to the episodes produced today. Homer wasn't nearly as much of a buffoon as he is today, and this episode isn't as hysterical as future episodes, but what it may lack in some comedy, it makes up in story and character development. While Bart was quite the troublemaker, he still cared deeply for his father and his family. Plus, the family singing of Rudolph played in the credits was great!

This was our first meeting with the Simpsons, and it would continue to be a great relationship.

The one that started it all, this is one of the best episodes,it's one of my favourites.

I watch it yevery single year over roundabout Christmas time, even when I put the tree up this has to be on.

I love watching this episode when it's cold and snowy and in the winter months.

There Simpsons first episode will seem funny to say compared to the latest Seasons, As the cartoon may seem a little odd.

However there were some baby funny moment in this episode , that will make you laugh out loud.

I really like the plot with this episode and we see their Simpsons get their dog for Christmas

I am going to give this episode a 10 out of 10.

The most interesting thing for any contemporary Simpsons fans to notice in this first episode is how much everything has changed over the years.

The early Simpsons shows were created on a much smaller budget, necessitating a smaller, less experienced, and in some ways, less skilled team. As a result, the animation style here is much rougher. There are far fewer people doing voices. The voice work isn't nearly as smooth as it would become. The personalities of the characters hadn't settled into norms. There aren't as many layers of jokes zipping frantically by.

The feel, overall, isn't that removed from, say, a Beavis and Butthead episode. Not that that's a bad thing. I happen to love Beavis and Butthead, too. It's just a much rougher style than we've come to expect from The Simpsons.

Aside from all of that, though, this is a charming Christmas episode, almost a Simpsons version of A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). Like that famous work, an elementary school pageant is featured prominently, there are problems procuring a Christmas tree, and the "true meaning of Christmas", aside from commercialism, is explored, although here it is done so unwillingly, and there are no religious-tinged speeches to accompany the proceedings--The Simpsons is known for its irreverence, after all. But at its heart, while humorously introducing us to the main characters, this really is a sweet Christmas story and worth watching for that purpose, which is what I plan to save future viewings for.

It all begins with a school pageant: all the students make some kind of contribution since Christmas is coming, and in the audience one notices Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner), eager to see their kids Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith) perform. Inevitably, Bart screws everything up with his rendition of "Jingle Bells", prompting Principal Skinner (Harry Shearer) to throw him out. It's funny. It's the last thing one would expect from a Christmas special. And that's just the start of what became an American TV institution (some even consider it THE ultimate US series).

Following the school incident, further trouble awaits Homer when he learns he won't receive a Christmas bonus that year. Knowing he'll otherwise disappoint his family and be taunted by Marge's unbearable sisters, he accepts the humiliation of dressing up as Santa Claus at the local mall. Naturally, Bart decides to have fun at his expense once again. Yes, it's not gonna be a normal holiday in the Simpson family.

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire was actually the eighth episode made for the series, but since the show was scheduled to begin airing just before Christmas (the precise date is December 17th, 1989), it became the series premiere, which resulted in at least one blatant plot hole (Santa's Little Helper, introduced here, is an absentee for most of Season One). On a technical level, the episode is also less polished than later efforts, still baring a resemblance to the original Tracey Ullman Show shorts (the same goes for Castellaneta's vocal characterization of Homer, which started out as a Walter Matthau impression).

The dodgy animation does not, however, detract from The Simpsons' primary quality: it's really, really funny, in a bold, merciless way. In fact, it should be noted that from the very beginning (as relative a concept as that is), Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and the others knew exactly what would get the most laughs: any scene featuring Homer and Bart together. Proof? Two lines spoken by the kid: "Dad, there's one fat guy who gives us presents for Christmas, and his name ain't Santa Claus.", and, when he sees his father doing the Santa job, "Hi, I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?". That and so much more made this the ideal Christmas gift for TV audiences in 1989.

It's interesting to look back at the Simpsons first episode, one that was not necessarily meant to be the series opener and see how it still succeeds. Expanding on the original shorts, the episode does a good enough job by giving each family member a proper introduction. Of course most the episode is dedicated to Homer and Bart, but it demonstrates early on the that despite how dense Homer might be, he is still a loving father who goes out of his way to ensure his family has the best holiday possible. It really is the strength of these early Simpsons episodes in that while they may not be as funny as those from the later golden age, they still have a heart and sincerity to them that makes them special.