Zabon Reviews

Dragon Ball Z: Hotondo torihada! Bisenshi Zâbon no akuma no henshin (1990) Season 1, Episode 53

Best. Dragon Ball Z. Episode. Ever.

[10/10 · 22 September 2015]

Summary: Zarbon transforms into a demonic reptilian beast and pounds the life out of Vegeta with brutality as he unleashes a relentless succession of rapid head-butts, roundhouses, aerial bicycle kicks, devastating choke holds, and a bone-cracking pile-driver against Vegeta, tossing his opponent around like a rag doll. This is the one true battle where the villain completely dominates the protagonist character; This is pretty much the epitome of the series to me.

Characters: Zarbon takes the cake in this episode and in the series in its entirety with the most ruthless beat-down ever witnessed in all DB history. Zarbon's character has been mysterious up until this point and this is the episode we learn his true ability: to transform into a reptilian brute. The character already maintains a very strong persona as a deadly warrior, but this episode adds to his foundation of greatness. Ultimately, Zarbon is my most favorite character in the entire series due to being elegant, handsome, militaristic, ruthless, brutal, having serious mannerism, dying loyally (Immortality Denied), and having an exquisite reptilian design. These qualities all play a contributing factor; The role he portrays and his development are my favorite, that of Frieza's elite Commander-General and close henchman and adviser. The fact that he suggests to eradicate the Saiyan race is a brilliant idea and adds to my love for him (as seen in Bardock: The Father of Goku). My great love stems from the brutal villainy and brutally grotesque demise... the great portrayal of emotions such as fear and cowardice when on bottom but brutal and extremely wicked when on top. The character of Zarbon is the pure definition of the beauty and the beast, he is the personification of the brutish demonic monster within and the ever-elegant warrior, mysterious and deadly... due to his brutal characteristic being entombed along with his magnificent stature. He's an emotional villain with double persona and greatly layered with dastardly deeds that come back to extinguish his flame. Also, I prefer Zarbon's transformation by a long margin to the other transformations in the series. For one, he doesn't charge up for an long amount of time and he doesn't have a minor alteration either. I like both his forms because they make him who he is, sadistic and brutal whilst handsome and mysterious. Elegant yet deadly... he's the beauty who hides a dormant beast. He has the most vivid execution scene, extremely gruesome and satisfying... and the method of execution was displayed brilliantly. Due to my love of aliens and demonic characters, Zarbon's reptilian ancestry and dynamic blue-skin adds furthermore to his sustained personality. Not only designed beautifully and having an appealing appearance, he also perishes in a powerful manner and very brutally. I prefer characters who die in a memorable way as opposed to those who live throughout the entire series. Those who captivate the screen in a shorter amount of time do a better job for me than those who last forever, because through a suspenseful demise... they live forever, surpassing the mortal coil of the norm. Still, he's my favorite character due to affiliation, design, actual villainy, and intricate detail. As for Vegeta, he maintains his cocky personality until he is shocked by the surprising revelation he faces. The stubborn and relentless Saiyan is brought down to within an inch of his life in a matter of minutes.

The Battle: Zarbon's beat-down of Vegeta is my favorite scene in the series (Zarbon Transformed), especially the repeated head-butt combination he unleashes, relentlessly annihilating Vegeta's face. The overall battle is the best to me because it doesn't allow the protagonist a chance to even fight back; it's the evil character beating on the good one the entire time straight up. Best. Fight. Scene. In. DBZ. History.

Notes: The only other fights that are remotely as enjoyable as "Zarbon versus Vegeta" are "Recoome versus Vegeta", "Android 19 versus Vegeta", and "Spopovich versus Videl", each contributing their own level of brutal physical combat and taking the fighting to the maximum level with stupendous bone-cracking maneuvers. Zarbon versus Vegeta remains the most gripping and powerfully captivating fight in the series, making this the most dynamic episode in the series. Dubbing variations of this same episode include "Zarbon Transformed," "Zarbon's Surprise," "Zarbon's Hideous Transformation," and "Goosebump Time! Zarbon Transforms into a Demon." The episodes equate to the same footage albeit having very minor differences. The most powerfully gripping of them is the original Japanese as it features the BGM matching every striking blow of the battle with great systematic synchronization under the track "Kyoufu no Ginyu Tokusentai." In full sincerity, if it were not for the great fight that is witnessed in this episode, the series would not be the same.

Dragon Ball Z Kai: Resurrected Comrades! The Handsome Warrior Zarbon's Devilish Transformation (2009) Season 1, Episode 24

Best. Dragon Ball Kai. Episode. Ever.

[10/10 · 22 September 2015]

Summary: Zarbon transforms into a demonic reptilian beast and pounds the life out of Vegeta with brutality as he unleashes a relentless succession of rapid head-butts, roundhouses, aerial bicycle kicks, devastating choke holds, and a bone-cracking pile-driver against Vegeta, tossing his opponent around like a rag doll. This is the one true battle where the villain completely dominates the protagonist character; This is pretty much the epitome of the series to me.

Characters: Zarbon takes the cake in this episode and in the series in its entirety with the most ruthless beat-down ever witnessed in all DB history. Zarbon's character has been mysterious up until this point and this is the episode we learn his true ability: to transform into a reptilian brute. The character already maintains a very strong persona as a deadly warrior, but this episode adds to his foundation of greatness. Ultimately, Zarbon is my most favorite character in the entire series due to being elegant, handsome, militaristic, ruthless, brutal, having serious mannerism, dying loyally (Immortality Denied), and having an exquisite reptilian design. These qualities all play a contributing factor; The role he portrays and his development are my favorite, that of Frieza's elite Commander-General and close henchman and adviser. The fact that he suggests to eradicate the Saiyan race is a brilliant idea and adds to my love for him (as seen in Bardock: The Father of Goku). My great love stems from the brutal villainy and brutally grotesque demise... the great portrayal of emotions such as fear and cowardice when on bottom but brutal and extremely wicked when on top. The character of Zarbon is the pure definition of the beauty and the beast, he is the personification of the brutish demonic monster within and the ever-elegant warrior, mysterious and deadly... due to his brutal characteristic being entombed along with his magnificent stature. He's an emotional villain with double persona and greatly layered with dastardly deeds that come back to extinguish his flame. Also, I prefer Zarbon's transformation by a long margin to the other transformations in the series. For one, he doesn't charge up for an long amount of time and he doesn't have a minor alteration either. I like both his forms because they make him who he is, sadistic and brutal whilst handsome and mysterious. Elegant yet deadly... he's the beauty who hides a dormant beast. He has the most vivid execution scene, extremely gruesome and satisfying... and the method of execution was displayed brilliantly. Due to my love of aliens and demonic characters, Zarbon's reptilian ancestry and dynamic blue-skin adds furthermore to his sustained personality. Not only designed beautifully and having an appealing appearance, he also perishes in a powerful manner and very brutally. I prefer characters who die in a memorable way as opposed to those who live throughout the entire series. Those who captivate the screen in a shorter amount of time do a better job for me than those who last forever, because through a suspenseful demise... they live forever, surpassing the mortal coil of the norm. Still, he's my favorite character due to affiliation, design, actual villainy, and intricate detail. As for Vegeta, he maintains his cocky personality until he is shocked by the surprising revelation he faces. The stubborn and relentless Saiyan is brought down to within an inch of his life in a matter of minutes.

The Battle: Zarbon's beat-down of Vegeta is my favorite scene in the series (Zarbon Transformed), especially the repeated head-butt combination he unleashes, relentlessly annihilating Vegeta's face. The overall battle is the best to me because it doesn't allow the protagonist a chance to even fight back; it's the evil character beating on the good one the entire time straight up. Best. Fight. Scene. In. DBZ. History.

Notes: The only other fights that are remotely as enjoyable as "Zarbon versus Vegeta" are "Recoome versus Vegeta", "Android 19 versus Vegeta", and "Spopovich versus Videl", each contributing their own level of brutal physical combat and taking the fighting to the maximum level with stupendous bone-cracking maneuvers. Zarbon versus Vegeta remains the most gripping and powerfully captivating fight in the series, making this the most dynamic episode in the series. Dubbing variations of this same episode include "Resurrected Comrades! The Handsome Warrior Zarbon's Devilish Transformation," "Zarbon Transformed," "Zarbon's Surprise," "Zarbon's Hideous Transformation," and "Goosebump Time! Zarbon Transforms into a Demon." The episodes equate to the same footage albeit having very minor differences. The most powerfully gripping of them is the original Japanese as it features the BGM matching every striking blow of the battle with great systematic synchronization under the track "Kyoufu no Ginyu Tokusentai." In full sincerity, if it were not for the great fight that is witnessed in this episode, the series would not be the same.

Dragon Ball Z: Zarbon Transformed (1997) Season 2, Episode 14

Best. Dragon Ball Z. Episode. Ever.

[10/10 · 6 November 2013]

Summary: Zarbon transforms into a demonic reptilian beast and pounds the life out of Vegeta with brutality as he unleashes a relentless succession of rapid head-butts, roundhouses, aerial bicycle kicks, devastating choke holds, and a bone-cracking pile-driver against Vegeta, tossing his opponent around like a rag doll. This is the one true battle where the villain completely dominates the protagonist character; This is pretty much the epitome of the series to me.

Characters: Zarbon takes the cake in this episode and in the series in its entirety with the most ruthless beat-down ever witnessed in all DB history. Zarbon's character has been mysterious up until this point and this is the episode we learn his true ability: to transform into a reptilian brute. The character already maintains a very strong persona as a deadly warrior, but this episode adds to his foundation of greatness. Ultimately, Zarbon is my most favorite character in the entire series due to being elegant, handsome, militaristic, ruthless, brutal, having serious mannerism, dying loyally (Immortality Denied), and having an exquisite reptilian design. These qualities all play a contributing factor; The role he portrays and his development are my favorite, that of Frieza's elite Commander-General and close henchman and adviser. The fact that he suggests to eradicate the Saiyan race is a brilliant idea and adds to my love for him (as seen in Bardock: The Father of Goku). My great love stems from the brutal villainy and brutally grotesque demise... the great portrayal of emotions such as fear and cowardice when on bottom but brutal and extremely wicked when on top. The character of Zarbon is the pure definition of the beauty and the beast, he is the personification of the brutish demonic monster within and the ever-elegant warrior, mysterious and deadly... due to his brutal characteristic being entombed along with his magnificent stature. He's an emotional villain with double persona and greatly layered with dastardly deeds that come back to extinguish his flame. Also, I prefer Zarbon's transformation by a long margin to the other transformations in the series. For one, he doesn't charge up for an long amount of time and he doesn't have a minor alteration either. I like both his forms because they make him who he is, sadistic and brutal whilst handsome and mysterious. Elegant yet deadly... he's the beauty who hides a dormant beast. He has the most vivid execution scene, extremely gruesome and satisfying... and the method of execution was displayed brilliantly. Due to my love of aliens and demonic characters, Zarbon's reptilian ancestry and dynamic blue-skin adds furthermore to his sustained personality. Not only designed beautifully and having an appealing appearance, he also perishes in a powerful manner and very brutally. I prefer characters who die in a memorable way as opposed to those who live throughout the entire series. Those who captivate the screen in a shorter amount of time do a better job for me than those who last forever, because through a suspenseful demise... they live forever, surpassing the mortal coil of the norm. Still, he's my favorite character due to affiliation, design, actual villainy, and intricate detail. As for Vegeta, he maintains his cocky personality until he is shocked by the surprising revelation he faces. The stubborn and relentless Saiyan is brought down to within an inch of his life in a matter of minutes.

The Battle: Zarbon's beat-down of Vegeta is my favorite scene in the series (Zarbon Transformed), especially the repeated head-butt combination he unleashes, relentlessly annihilating Vegeta's face. The overall battle is the best to me because it doesn't allow the protagonist a chance to even fight back; it's the evil character beating on the good one the entire time straight up. Best. Fight. Scene. In. DBZ. History.

Notes: The only other fights that are remotely as enjoyable as "Zarbon versus Vegeta" are "Recoome versus Vegeta", "Android 19 versus Vegeta", and "Spopovich versus Videl", each contributing their own level of brutal physical combat and taking the fighting to the maximum level with stupendous bone-cracking maneuvers. Zarbon versus Vegeta remains the most gripping and powerfully captivating fight in the series, making this the most dynamic episode in the series. Dubbing variations of this same episode include "Zarbon Transformed," "Zarbon's Surprise," "Zarbon's Hideous Transformation," and "Goosebump Time! Zarbon Transforms into a Demon." The episodes equate to the same footage albeit having very minor differences. The most powerfully gripping of them is the original Japanese as it features the BGM matching every striking blow of the battle with great systematic synchronization under the track "Kyoufu no Ginyu Tokusentai." In full sincerity, if it were not for the great fight that is witnessed in this episode, the series would not be the same.

The Sopranos: Denial, Anger, Acceptance (1999) Season 1, Episode 3

Best Episode In History of The Sopranos; On Par With The Godfather

[10/10 · 29 June 2013]

Primary Story: So Chris and Brendan return the hijacked truck but Junior still isn't happy as he hasn't punished anyone yet. Mikey keeps encouraging him to take action and Junior ends up agreeing with him. But man, "Take it easy! We're not making a Western here!" was a great comeback.

Additionally, Meadow and Hunter ask Chris and Brendan for speed just so they can stay awake and study for the SAT exams. Brendan has a nice remark here, "Kids, ya think ya can protect 'em, well you can't!" This holds a strong moral complexity as it's a reference to how kids will always find a way to get what they want. Though hesitant at first, Chris is convinced by Adriana to give them some as it's preferable to acquire the drugs from them as opposed to street dealers from Jefferson Ave, who as Chris puts it, would have "robbed them, raped them, and left them on the side of the road." ends up giving them a little but wants to avoid getting in trouble with Tony for doing this. And after Eventually, at the end of the episode, after Livia ends up giving her piece of advice to Junior, the old yet deadly puppet-master ends up agreeing with her mentality; so he decides to dish out the punishment; a mock execution for Chris laid down by Russian gangsters and a real one for Brendan via Mikey Palmice's swift and extremely climactic punishment.

Secondary Story: A Hasidic Jewish fellow approaches Tony for a quick job; pretty much beating up on his son-in-law Ariel until he agrees to a divorce. The interrogation doesn't go too well as he's a hard one to crack and he references Masada, the site of a long siege between a small number of Jews and the legions of Roman soldiers which eventually ended in the mass suicide of these same Jews who chose death over enslavement, and then Ariel goes on to say, "Where are the Romans now..." and Tony's comeback is one of the best... "You're lookin' at 'em a$$hole..." That was some beautiful writing there.

Tertiary Story: Jackie Aprile, Sr. is in the hospital and his condition worsens as Tony discusses the cancer diagnosis with his psychiatrist, Jennifer Melfi. He also deliberates whether or not he's seen as a "Frankenstein" figure... someone who lacks emotions and feelings.

Music: Best music in the end of the episode. "All Through the Night" intercut with vicious brutality and scenes whilst depicting the gentle nature of Meadow's choir performance makes this the most memorable scene in the series.

Characters: Brendan Filone is and always will be my #1 most favorite character in The Sopranos due to the method in which he is executed. Brendan was Christopher Moltisanti's friend and partner in crime as we witnessed in the previous episode entitled "46 Long." Due to his addiction to drugs and his overall unplanned hijacking gone awry, he is silenced for his actions, sending a message to the rest of Tony Soprano's crew.

This scene is perfectly depicted in "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" and is the most important climax in the entire first season. Brendan was shot to death in his bathtub, clean through the eye, by Junior's trigger man, Mikey Palmice. The method of execution is known as the "Moe Greene Special", a specific form of Mafia killing based on Moe Greene, who also happens to be my favorite character from The Godfather trilogy.

The scene is also my most favorite in the history of The Sopranos, since Brendan's method of demise is unparalleled throughout the series. The scene was so memorable in its Godfather-like ending that it shall always remain a part of me; always my favorite moment in television/film history.

The sheer brutality and ferocity is heightened in this instant, where a lullaby plays in the background as Brendan smokes his final cigarette. Mikey Palmice walks in, startles Brendan, and says "Hijack! Bye Jack!" before silencing him with a glock aimed at his eye; a message job. As the montage buildup of the musical choir "All Through the Night" sounds in the background, Filone looks up and fear strikes his face; his dreams shattered in that instant! He dies in that terrifying moment as the bullet pierces his eye, redefining a bloodbath! The blood fills the tub as Filone remains still, no longer quivering. However, through death, he is immortalized forevermore, a fragment of magnificent brilliance defined.

Brendan will always be my favorite character in the history of film and television, forevermore. I love Brendan Filone.

Overall: Hands down the best episode of the series as it incorporates my favorite character being killed in the most memorable fashion, a very brutal and swift punishment coated with tender lullaby accents and warrants the perfect ending and writing overall as a concept and genuinely brilliant reference to The Godfather.

Dragon Ball Z: The Incredible Fighting Candy (2002) Season 15, Episode 19

One of the Worst Episodes In the Entire Series... Due to a Certain Level of Idiocy

[1/10 · 29 June 2013]

This is one of the worst episodes as well as Vegito fights back after he is changed into a chocolate candy jawbreaker piece and starts to battle in this form... against Super Buu... who is bounced around by this piece of candy. He ends up returning Vegito to his initial body since he can't keep up with the piece of candy; Stupid much...? We could have been spared this entire episode and everyone's useless reactions of anticipation for 20 minutes and we might have had a more serious saga here. So basically a piece of candy fights Super Buu, which was already a goofball antagonist to begin with, making the culmination of the saga even less enthralling. A fighting piece of candy isn't something I'd expected to see in such an excellent series. Well, when it comes to this episode, it relies too heavily on being idiotic and sometimes, having a light-hearted fight isn't the best way to go about it.

Dragon Ball Z: Vegito... Downsized (2002) Season 15, Episode 18

A Rather Foolish Attempt at a Comedic Twist that We Could Have Lived Without...

[1/10 · 29 June 2013]

Here's the lead-on to the "incredible fighting candy" episode which sucked equally as bad. Here, Vegito is changed into the candy and all hope is temporarily lost... as well as our patience as an audience expecting to see dramatic action and pulse-pounding drama. This was one idiotic episode overall as it destroys the seriousness of previous episodes and the overall feel of the series. Of course, it may appeal to very young children as it has the very random and moronic touch to it, but for people who prefer to see the darker, more serious atmosphere of Dragon Ball, won't really be gaining much here. This was a rather foolish attempt at a comedic twist that we could have lived without...

Dragon Ball Z: The Horror Won't End (2000) Season 10, Episode 25

Indeed... There is the Horror of Watching This Episode For 22 Minutes

[1/10 · 29 June 2013]

This is the lead-up to the forthcoming horrible episode "Save the World." It's one of the worst episodes as well as Gohan and Cell begin their beam struggle here and continue it onto the next 22 minutes of an overload of boredom. The only horror here is the lame footage that people are forced to undergo; it's the worst 44 minutes in the history of the entire series; well, this episode and the one right after. Nothing much happens here, of course... Gohan and Cell get into their useless beam struggle which is the absolute most boring footage in the entire series run. Indeed... There is the "Horror" of actually staying awake during this episode as everyone stares at Gohan and Cell's useless scuffle.

Dragon Ball Z: Save the World (2000) Season 10, Episode 26

Worst Episode in the Entire Dragon Ball Z Series Run

[1/10 · 29 June 2013]

This here would be the worst episode of the entire series. Well, this and the one before it. I absolutely hate this ending and the overall emphasis placed on just one beam struggle. The grunting and moaning in the episode also annoyed me. I was completely towards disliking the saga overall but this ending was my least favorite as well as worst overall in terms of storyline progression. In general, I hated this episode and the one prior to it, I believe it was called "Horror won't end", yup, those two are my least favorites due to the ongoing emphasis of boredom here. This episode also lacks the sheer brutality of the 200 or so other really awesome episodes of DBZ. This is the prime example of an overall terrible episode as it is an attempt to conclude a one-on-one fight that just dragged on too long as it is. Cell v. Gohan was the most boring fight in the series, but this ending to the fight was the most grueling and boring due to the fact that if someone is not a fan of Cell (which I am not), then this episode's appeal is very minimal if any. It concentrated too heavily on a beam struggle and not enough on anything but that. There was hardly any dialogue if any and mostly concentrated on repeated footage of the two characters blasting each other, which is the opposite of a very well orchestrated fight scene, but rather, a prime example of "I must hold this face to appear more and add more unnecessary airtime"... very poor episode overall.

Xena: Warrior Princess: A Fistful of Dinars (1996) Season 1, Episode 14

Best Episode in the First Season for Characters, Story, Morality, and Development

[10/10 · 13 March 2013]

This is my favorite episode in the first season. It features a handful of very awesome characters; particularly Thersites. He's an assassin with a thirst for money and riches so he goes through any means to get it; be it murder or mayhem. Well, he ends up joining with Xena and Gabrielle temporarily just so they can acquire the ambrosia, this mystical and mythical fruit that's supposed to be able to make mortals into gods. Then there's this other fellow, Petracles, whom is not originally trusted by Xena and ends up being a more honorable warrior. Of course, Thersites ends up going his way to acquire the ambrosia, and ends up slaying Petracles in the process in the end. He himself is slain by Xena and there's a grand directing perspective here from the upper angle portraying their bodies; all for the ambrosia, which Xena tosses away, disposing of it. There is great morality and mortality found in this episode, and there overall emphasis on the characters of Thersites and Petracles was very well orchestrated. Personally, I found Thersites to be the best character in the first season as a stand-alone plot device. His movement was fluid and his actions defined him. There was a solid usage of philosophical connotations as well; the story telling viewers that chasing something can get you killed; and greed being a strong detrimental factor. There's also other nice ways that these messages have been incorporated throughout the episode, but the best is the fact that the characters go on a journey, some are killed in the process, whilst others learn from the error of their ways. This teaches that not all fates are intertwined and there's great misfortune to befall those who defy common logic. The story is not the only thing that shines as the directing here was phenomenal; a gorgeous job indeed.

Xena: Warrior Princess: A Friend in Need Part II (2001) Season 6, Episode 22

Lovely Ending, it keeps the show's premise in mind, but maintains the emphasis of the reality of fate and tragedy

[10/10 · 13 March 2013]

This episode was one of my favorite endings; I loved to see Xena meet this unforgettable and tragic end and sacrifice herself for the thousands of lives that she had taken earlier in her life. But that was merely the moral aspect of the episode's greatness. What of the awesomeness of Yodoshi and his "Dragonball-esque" battle against Xena; that was quite memorable. I loved the fight scene as well as the villain Yodoshi. There was great impression placed on Xena's final battle; but the best part was the ever-so-eloquent slicing beheading of Yodoshi in one swift strike, allowing his head to roll on the ground as Xena turned away from her fallen opponent in anime-style awesomeness, not looking back at the grisly visage of her final foe. This was by far one of my favorite death scenes in the series as well, for being such an honorable battle in essence and conception. Also, I loved Xena's decision in the end to stay dead even though Gabrielle could have barely managed to revive her. All their journeys and decisions led to this fateful moment; the moment that Xena decides to perish and allow her vanquished souls to be freed from eternal torment in purgatory. And so, Gabrielle is seen on the boat all alone in the end, riding away into the sunset; but she keeps Xena's presence in her heart, which makes the episode's already great presence even more awesome. Personally, I prefer when episodes are of this tragic caliber to the light-hearted or goofy overtone. With full sincerity, if it were not for serious drama and tragedy befalling everyone, then the series would not have been as good as it was. This episode is a fine example of why the series was so great. It is because of these losses and sadness that envelops the show that makes it so special. If something were to last forever, then it wouldn't be as good. So I am one of the fans who loved this bitter and savage ending to this great story.

Xena: Warrior Princess: When in Rome... (1998) Season 3, Episode 16

The ending was so good, it portrays the morality and overall tragedy in life

[10/10 · 13 March 2013]

By far my favorite episode in the third season. The character of Crassus was extremely well-played as an overall role in this episode. Crassus is captured by Xena and Gabrielle, who must save this guy named Vercinix. They do so, but must switch Crassus with Vercinix, who happens to be in Rome's jail cell. Caesar has promised a beheading and when Crassus is brought forth rather than Vercinix, he is confused, but must sacrifice his loyalty to Crassus because the crowd of the coliseum wants blood. Crassus screams for his life as he is beheaded. So basically, Gabrielle walks away as she plays a part in Crassus' murder. The overall terror and savage execution make this one a masterpiece episode. The character of Crassus stood out not only as a brilliant plot device but also as a great villain with an excellent death scene.

Xena: Warrior Princess: Heart of Darkness (2000) Season 6, Episode 3

Excellent Interpretation of the Devil's Displaying of the Seven Deadly Sins

[10/10 · 13 March 2013]

This episode is the follow-up to the Hell arc, which was previously featured in the Haunting of Amphipolis. As a sub-string connective plot point episode, this one also rocked hard. It portrayed the deadly and dark emotions lurking inside mortals when they are engrossed by the darkness in their hearts. First off, after Xena has slain Mephistopheles (my favorite villain in the entire series), she ends up being forced into taking his throne by the Archangels who were sent to enforce this agenda. To this end, they are unsuccessful to do so because Xena is smart enough to trick them in her own game. She lures the archangel Lucifer with her own evil intentions, forcing him to commit the seven deadly sins and pretty much making him the new Devil. Of course, Xena has that wonderful statement in the end to boot: "That's what makes us human, Lucifer. But in you, an Archangel, to succumb to such temptation, that's what makes you a monster." And then, we see the wonderful effects of Lucifer's transformation into the red-skinned horned devil. Of course, he is then kicked down to hell, where he is now Mephistopheles' replacement as the king of hell. The whole concept of Xena killing the devil Mephistopheles and then tricking Lucifer into committing the biblical seven deadly sins and having him succumb to the bowels of hell make this episode a very awesome one as well. When it comes to the overall moral value as well as the initial creative writing for characters like Mephistopheles and Lucifer, these episodes shine all the way through with their proper usage of brilliantly designed villains.

Xena: Warrior Princess: The Haunting of Amphipolis (2000) Season 6, Episode 2

Mephistopheles = Best Designed Villain In the Entire Xena Series

[10/10 · 13 March 2013]

There's a few reasons why this episode is so awesome. Firstly, it features a very magnificent villain in inception and design: Mephistopheles, the blue/green-skinned king of hell. As if having the demonic appearance and wonderful skin tone, design, mannerism, and actually vile tactics weren't enough, Mephistopheles goes to the depths of possessing Gabrielle and being a psychotic monster just to invoke Xena to battle him in Hell's domain. The entire Hell arc was extremely awesome in its conception, but this episode was a killer kick for Horror genre fans as well as fans of villains. For one, the fight against Mephistopheles was very well-orchestrated. He manages to kick Xena full throttle in the back, sending her sprawling, whilst using his double-edged trident-like spear weapon. And is ever-successful at saying some of the most brilliant lines: "I thought you were the God-killer, Xena! How were the mighty Olympians so easily taken!?" And, anyone who destroys the demonic king of hell must take his throne, a task Xena doesn't want to undertake. But when being forced into a position between choosing that and allowing the king of hell to be made flesh and cause havoc on Earth's plains, Xena must challenge him to the death. The atmosphere is also very unique; there's corpses and skeletons everywhere; lots of blood and lots of ghastly hallucinations to go along with the fear factor of the episode; the house they enter is completely a fear-inducing joint, with numerous demonic and ghostly incarnations. Firstly, the episode gets bonus points for featuring an adult-oriented atmosphere; Eve must spill the blood of Eli in order to allow Mephistopheles to walk the Earth and be made flesh. Once this happens, Mephistopheles comes out from hell in a demonic storm of chaotic viciousness; his veins pulsating and the blood rushing though his pores, including his brutish eyes, which are also filled with a brimstone of vile hate. This scene is on par with the evil villain power-up scenes seen only in anime legends like Dragon Ball Z. This results in Mephistopheles fighting Xena, who is forced into slaying him, piercing his stomach and stating "So be it," choosing to take him out and become the king of hell rather than allow him to reign hell on earth. This, coupled with the overall battle mechanisms and the evil schemes of Mephistopheles make this episode a very memorable and great one not only from a horror fan's perspective, but also that of a fighting-character lover.

Xena: Warrior Princess: Who's Gurkhan? (2000) Season 6, Episode 4

Best Music, Best Plot, Best Savage Ending, and One of the Best Villains all in one package!

[10/10 · 13 March 2013]

Hands down one of the best episodes in the series run, not only for the storyline, dancing scenarios, and musical atmosphere, but also for the presence of the evil yet enjoyable Gurkhan. So basically, Gabrielle wants vengeance against Gurkhan and goes undercover to try and get to him. The best thing about this episode is the overall music selection as well as the matching of the BGM with the scenery. Particularly Gabrielle's belly-dancing sequence. It is phenomenal in terms of music choice; which in my opinion, is the absolute best musical piece in this entire series run. Of course, Gurkhan is later found out in his harem and Gabrielle wants to slice off his head but doesn't; instead, she covers his head and allows Gurkhan's own executioners to behead him. There is tremendous moral value and savage sexual drive while torture and sadistic pleasure go into play. The episode rolls through as an overall very serious one as well as extremely memorable due to Gurkhan's fate. The episode, as well as the character of Gurkhan, remain my second-favorite plot-line and character in the series. Coincidentally, the episode came only right after the brilliantly orchestrated Hell arc.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Monster (2011) Season 3, Episode 13

"Monster" is an emotional climax; Likely the best episode encompassing a moral overdose

[10/10 · 23 January 2012]

This episode was thus far the best written in terms of plot, characters, purpose, and overall inception. Absolutely none of the characters were cardboard or stiff in terms of their development and everyone expressed some form of actual emotion.

Overall: Anyone who is a fan of the antagonists would love this episode... Such as myself. I greatly preferred the atmosphere of the environment and the setting of the plot. Of course, Star Wars is a very vivid creation with a repertoire of lucid creatures and planets. I believe this episode is a prime example of these features being put into effect to the maximum capacity. I greatly admire the writing capability delivered here; I can't say the same about all the episodes of this series. As a stand-alone scenario, "Monster," along with "Witches of the Mist," and "Nightsisters," are primarily the central story arc that I enjoyed most of all.

Plot: What makes this particular episode (Monster) so much better than the rest, however, is the usage of Savage Oppress as a masterful villain. Of course, he is a plot device for the characters of Ventress and Dooku, but his development and his overall attitude, mannerism, gestures, and complexity make him an overall deeper and more likable character. Savage is a Zabrak warrior who is taken in by Ventress and trained to acquire vengeance against Dooku... Later secretly going under Dooku's command only to fool the Sith Lord. Of course, Savage is much deeper of a persona and becomes greatly aggravated at both Dooku and Ventress, erupting against them and using his power to release their stranglehold. He does fight well (with the ever-lovely double-ended lightsabers)... But that's merely the icing on the cake.

Characters: Savage is a character that is almost as powerful a concept as that of Darth Maul. Until this story arc aired on television, I hadn't seen a character rival the genuine design and brilliant attitude of Maul. Until now. And even better, this character is designed to be Maul's brother. Ultimately, although Lord Maul remains my favorite Star Wars character for genuine design, mannerism, compelling story, and having the best fight scene in the entire movie universe series, Savage is likely a good counterpart for the Expanded Universe and the Clone Wars series.

Writing: As a story, this episode encompasses a multitude of emotions. When I view an episode, I judge greatly on the insurmountable amount of morality that is depicted. I've found that this episode wields an array of such material. The most compelling aspect is the plot device of Feral, Savage's brother. The writing here depicts Feral to be less powerful than Savage. Although at first Savage promises to protect his brother at any cost, he is twisted and turned into a ruthless brute who ends up killing the one person he promised to protect due to being controlled by Ventress, Talzin, and the Nightsisters. This clan contributes to the breakdown of his conscience and his growth as a relentless warrior. By killing his own brother, Savage becomes the very thing he hated; and for storyline, this is the greatest piece of writing that anyone has shown in the entire series run.

Meaning: There is a tremendous amount of emotion and morality tucked inside this episode. It portrays a man deceived by all and built into a killing machine. It also shines light on how this man becomes a tool of destruction through the usage of vengeance as a propeller. Savage is by far the deepest character in the Clone Wars series (until Maul appears in season 4)... His very essence constitutes a multitude of emotions. The very dark side that George Lucas has portrayed prior bleeds into the writing and scenery here. This man's suffering and training leads him to be consumed by hatred and derails him from his path; a destiny fulfilled by puppet-master hands, causing this great monster to be born.

Final Thoughts: The best thing about the moral climax of this episode is that there's a complete zenith of every aspect of the dark side in this episode; be it hate, suffering, fear, and corruption. It makes for a unique powerhouse of a machine built for the perfect viewing experience.

Dragon Ball Z (1996–2003)

The Greatest Anime Ever Made; Hands Down

[10/10 · 29 September 2011]

This is, without a shred of doubt, my favorite anime of all time... the story is vivid and clever.

Plot: I'm going to be quite honest... the plot's rather simplistic in terms of storyline. However, the characters have strong mannerism; there's great emphasis on development. Basically, there's some dilemma being faced... people join forces and battle this threat; Also, the search for Dragon Balls places heroes and villains against one another; each having their own desires for obtaining the balls.

Story: The essence of the series is to convey a solid storyline, intertwined with sheer brutality... well-animated fighting... and emotional sequences... there's a commonly seen pattern of events building to climactic, pulse-pounding revelations.

Music: I can say one thing about English version music: it's bad. They're plain techno tracks that don't match the great emotion... with minor exceptions... most are lame. However, the DVD releases have included the original Japanese version music, which is a GREAT positive; those extravagant tracks are the sheer saving grace as the show's BGM. There's such emphasis placed on each strike of a limb, every twitching nerve; everything perfectly coincides. Bravo to Shunsuke Kikuchi for writing these brilliant pieces; especially the likes of "Kyoufu no Ginyu Tokusentai," and "Tenka Wakeme No Chou-Kessen"... examples that bring the scenes to life.

Battles: Some conflicts are rather long and tedious. I didn't enjoy the scuffle between Gohan and Cell, for example. That two-way Kamehameha was quite annoying. Nor was it enjoyable to witness the childishness of a candy battling Super Buu... that's rather lame, to say the least. However, there's enormously brutal instances littered with bone-cracking, back-breaking action that makes up for it. Personally, my favorites are, respectively:

1. Zarbon versus Vegeta - Zarbon transforms into a demonic beast and completely dominates Vegeta with a systematic ferocious head-butt combination, gripping choke holds, and a devastating pile-driver that sends Vegeta plummeting.

2. Recoome versus Vegeta, Goku, Gohan, and Krillin - Recoome tosses Vegeta like a rag doll, incapacitates Krillin with a single kick, and unleashes an array of blasts against Gohan before paralyzing him, and is in turn downed by Goku's swift hit.

3. Android 19 versus Vegeta and Goku - Android 19 takes the opportunity to savagely suck Goku's energy as a heart virus weakens the warrior... until Vegeta intervenes, proceeding to shred off 19's arms and relentlessly decapitate him.

4. Spopovich versus Videl - Videl's attack generates no effect on the muscle-bound Majin-inflicted Spopovich, who mutilates Videl using bone-smashing maneuvers.

Characters: They're all well-layered, exquisitely designed, and encompass radiant back-stories. Ultimately, my favorite characters are villains. In particular, Zarbon and Dodoria; they redefined the substance of villainy and are perfect plot devices due to butchering the Namekian warriors, elders, and children. In essence, they portray brutality; the more treacherous a character, the more I'd find them captivating. Their suggestion to Frieza to eliminate the Saiyan race pretty much sets the entire story in motion. They meet a grisly fate... which makes me love them even more. There's others I love, the likes of which include Cui, The Ginyu Force, Android 19, Spopovich, Dabura, Pui Pui, Nappa, Raditz, and Frieza... but Zarbon and Dodoria remain my favorites throughout the series run.

Sagas: The series is divided into three primary sagas: The Frieza debacle, the Cell scuffle, and the Buu era... all three have redeeming qualities... my least favorite's the Cell Games, where the main antagonist challenges the main protagonists to a tournament (I found this idea rather dull in comparison to the rest; it was less engrossing in terms of ferocity)... I was rather neutral for the Buu saga in terms of progression since the main antagonist was a bumbling goo monster... fine for children maybe, but for the serious viewer, not very appealing... Ultimately, I found the Frieza saga to be best, beginning with the Saiyan conflict between Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta... to the three-way guerrilla war making a battlefield of Namek, where Zarbon, Dodoria, and Cui take on Vegeta, who later joins forces with the protagonists to take down the Mercenary Squadron of the Ginyu Force... and the eventual rise of the Super Saiyan, Goku... who faces Lord Frieza to halt the tyrant's threat. This was Akira Toriyama's masterpiece; the epitome of the series at its zenith. Of course, like many series, the ending couldn't live up to prior expectations... it was rather low-key and without rising tension.

Moral: Everyone takes something away when they watch it; be it last impressions or a complete understanding of the piece... I have obtained, to my knowledge, the best viewing experience an anime can offer. Giving mankind such an honorable taste of morals, it remains unparalleled. The actions of subduing one's own greed and desires to find a common goal, and sometimes choosing to do things one would detest for the overall betterment makes this series genuinely riddled with moral overdose.

Overall: As a highlight to anime history, the series should be judged on all levels; not its eventual decline. The Frieza saga portrays Toriyama's vision as he had originally grafted it, without altering anything based on fan preference. It was the initial concept to which the series unfolded; The struggle of good versus evil portrays the wicked with emotion; Frieza has feelings of his own, and the audience has the chance to comprehend him; his fears and his agony; and come to an understanding with the decisions he made out of his own fear of someday meeting a warrior who'd surpass him. And from Goku's perspective; to give into one's anger and become the thing you hate or remain oblivious to cruelty... the definition of a hero's quest to stand against the evil that destroyed his race, his planet, and the very struggle to sustain the love he's gained and contain the silent thunder that boils within.

Futurama: Where No Fan Has Gone Before (2002) Season 4, Episode 12

"Where no Fan Has Gone Before" is the worst episode of Futurama

[1/10 · 23 July 2011]

After careful thought and deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that, in my opinion, this is the worst episode of Futurama, at least to my knowledge of judging based on actual story, plot, and moral.

The inclusion of Star Trek: I've noticed that many fans have come to judge things for very idiotic reasons… especially whether or not Star Trek characters are involved… well… this won't stop me from judging fairly because in my humble opinion, the inclusion of Star Trek sucks. So it doesn't add anything positive to the episode. Star Wars rocks, on the other hand… but I wouldn't judge an episode highly just because characters from that series were to appear randomly either. So the appearance of Star Trek people doesn't make this episode any better than the lower rated episodes. I never enjoyed the presence of Star Trek characters to begin with, so this episode is a detrimental collection of lame boredom emitted by the many years of Star Trek as a series overall. I hate how Star Trek is even mentioned in this series since it would do better without it. I mean… Star Trek is so darn boring. I hate the mentality of liking something just because it's classic or "one of the first" of its kind. I will like something, however, if it's as awesome as Star Wars or Futurama… or say, Mortal Kombat, Spider-Man, Dragon Ball Z, The Sopranos, Oz, The Shield, Dexter, etc. The list is endless for actually enjoyable series out there which happen to be a few million times better than the likes of the original Star Trek. I'm even a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation myself and I strongly prefer it to the original series.

Plot: I absolutely detest this episode of Futurama and it's very hard for me to admit to that because most episodes are rather good. Overall, however, the plot is a complete failure here. David A. Goodman (the writer) did rather poorly at a very simplistic plot. It's infantile, if anything… and the characters are very stereotypical and boring. Basically, it's very limited… we find out that Star Trek is banned (when it comes to talking about it, since all the fans from the past were supposedly thrown into a volcano many years ago)… then Fry and his crew land on this planet called Omega 3 (where the cast is supposed to be)… along with a new Star Trek cast member named Welshy… who apparently doesn't last long as some random big floating energy thing named Melllvar blasts and kills him to prove his powers… with full sincerity. So, basically… this Melllvar fellow annoys the life out of everyone while wasting time on screen… pretty much forcing the Star Trek cast to be a part of his personal collection. Wow, this plot is really stupid. Fry later convinces Melllvar that one television series can't be his entire life… which gives Melllvar the incentive to stop acting like a jacka$$ and let them go. The Star Trek cast contemplates if it was so horrible being under Melllvar's control since he was a floating energy entity and did indeed give them eternal life and pleasure… but come to the conclusion that they'd rather not since he was an annoying fan. That's about it…

Moral: None. Unless you're some kind of hardcore Star Trek fan for some odd reason… then this episode's moral wouldn't appeal to you… because there hardly is any. An intergalactic entity holding control over a thousand year old television cast doesn't encompass any form of morality. All it does is proceed to invoke negative ratings like the one I'm about to give…

Melllvar: I absolutely detested this supporting guest character. It was especially annoying when trying to give characteristics to a floating gaseous substance. Other than the fact that it hardly did anything but annoy the rest of the cast, I have no positive things to say about this Melllvar entity. It was just plain annoying and I wanted the episode to end so I wouldn't see any more of it. The Hypnotoad was an even more clever idea and it didn't even speak.

Welshy: Probably the only good redeeming factor about this episode was this guy who was supposed to be a replacement for Scotty's actor. But since he's killed off before doing anything, the rest of the episode sucked so bad, he didn't get a chance to make a difference.

Overall: This episode sucked badly… it will likely always remain my least favorite of Futurama because I've seen the entire series thus far and no other episodes have invoked negativity from me to the extent that this episode has. It deserves to suck continuously until it is completely forgotten from Futurama history, which would, in turn, make the series better. Sometimes, it's better to have some episodes like these… to make the actually good episodes seem EVEN BETTER.

The Simpsons: Skinner's Sense of Snow (2000) Season 12, Episode 8

"Skinner's Sense of Snow" is one of the best of this season. Definitely a memorable episode.

[10/10 · 3 July 2011]

This is one of the best episodes of the twelfth season. Most of this season was rather poor so having an actually good episode was rather surprising. Basically, there's a snowstorm of a strong caliber and the kids get trapped inside the school with Principal Skinner. They want to escape from the school, but Skinner doesn't allow them... explaining that it's too dangerous, with the excuse that the snow would cover and kill the kids in their attempt to escape. Skinner tries to guard the kids by creating a lucrative military schedule for them (and putting on his uniform)... In the process of his attempt to keep the kids in line, Bart takes over the situation by sealing Skinner in a bag with his head sticking out. This results in the kids running wild and Skinner being assaulted by their furious anger of being trapped in the school. Skinner becomes the central point of all the children's havoc and holds a cold stare the entire time. Eventually, Skinner sends a rodent through a ball with a message to save his life, and the ball successfully frees a trapped Homer and Flanders from their frozen vehicle outside... which in turn results in their coming across the avalanche that has sealed the school in... and saving Skinner from the hell that has been created around him. Very well-written and a surprisingly good episode in this season.

The Simpsons: The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson (1997) Season 9, Episode 1

"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" is a definitive example of an awesome Simpsons episode. It portrays one man's frustration of the city at a maximum capacity.

[10/10 · 26 June 2011]

Wow. This episode was awesomeness. And it was a season opener. It's one of the best episodes in the series hands down. It was amazing how Homer expressed his hatred of New York... I concur with him on many of the reasons (I'm sure we've all experiences these death traps of city life... Homer puts a great deal of expression on his utter disgust of New York City). The overall purpose of the episode is to showcase one man's anger towards city life. Barney goes haywire after not being able to participate in a beer-fest due to being the designated driver... and takes Homer's car for the rest of the night... with a maniacal glare in his eyes. He parks it in the middle of the city after this chaotic night... and Homer is told to come pick up his car from the city. He takes public transportation down to the city with his family (who go about to enjoy the many sights and sounds of the city, along with various shows and entertainment measures). Homer on the other hand finds his car parked in between the world trade center buildings... and has to stay beside the vehicle until the officer returns to help remove the boot from the tire. Soon, Homer drinks some crab juice from a street vendor and has to urinate. He runs from one world trade center tower to another looking for an available bathroom. After an exhausting climb and relieving himself... Homer sees the parking officer giving his vehicle yet another ticket from the top of the building. Homer runs down the building but doesn't make it on time as the officer leaves prior. Homer gets so annoyed after waiting all this time that he just begins to drive away with the tire boot grilling into the ground and rummaging into the car itself as it rotates. While trapped in traffic, Homer gets out, asks a construction worker for his jackhammer... and uses it to break off the boot from the tire... as well as punch holes in his car! After pretty much messing up the car, Homer rapidly picks up his family from a park and zooms out of the city. Grinding his teeth as garbage piles onto his face from a moving garbage truck... Homer twitches and shakes, holding back his ferocious rage as he drives back to Springfield. This is an amazing episode overall... and without a doubt one of the best of the ninth season.

The Simpsons: Alone Again, Natura-Diddly (2000) Season 11, Episode 14

"Alone Again, Natura-Diddily" is a morally complex emotional powerhouse of an episode, and the best of the eleventh season!

[10/10 · 26 June 2011]

This is without a doubt the best episode of the entire eleventh season of the series. It revolves around Flanders (my second most favorite character in the entire series). Basically, Homer and his family are at a race car competition... and Flanders is there also, with his dear wife, Maude. What happens here is a huge deal for hardcore Simpsons fans. Maude Flanders is accidentally killed! Homer goofs off when he asks for rolled up T-Shirt's to be flung in his direction... and he kneels down... causing an unsuspecting Maude (who was standing up) to be knocked off the stadium... and to her painful yet quick demise. This of course leaves Ned Flanders devastated for the rest of the episode. It's an emotional ride as Flanders struggles with his inner torment to withstand this great loss. Flanders is tremendously depressed at the funeral proceedings. He goes home to a lonely bed and holds air where his wife used to be. Homer is rather sweet to Flanders although he tries to make a video of him in order to find him another woman. Flanders doesn't want to betray Maude's memory as he's so loyal to her essence and being... and finds himself struggling to hold God close to his heart. The episode greatly portrays the challenge of staying true to religious beliefs regardless of conflicted emotions. Flanders questions God and why he's the one who's being punished... he can't accept this as he's the most loving and caring man and yet he is the one who suffers most of all... (with the pain of loss, the pain of his childhood, and the pain of withstanding numerous forms of anguish and torment. Flanders turns the image of God from the table beside his bed... and promises not to go to church... although he finds himself rushing to church and asking for forgiveness in the morning. As Flanders reaches the church, he sees a woman named Rachel Jordan, who sings a song at the church... and proceeds to move along with her band after the church proceeding ends. Flanders notices she needs help with her baggage and equipment and helps her load her traveling truck... and he ends up telling her that he'll be at church in Springfield if she ever decides to come back and visit. This adds a great deal of hope for Flanders and gives him a purpose for survival. God works in mysterious ways, and this episode portrays this to a powerful end... even under the worst circumstances, Flanders doesn't lose hope... and this makes this episode a rising and plummeting powerhouse of emotion, which solidifies it as a morally challenging and complex collision of struggle and healing... and in turn makes it the best episode of the season.

The Simpsons: Boy Scoutz 'n the Hood (1993) Season 5, Episode 8

"Boy Scoutz 'n the Hood" is one of the best due to incorporating real-life situations and an overall man versus nature masterpiece.

[10/10 · 17 June 2011]

Bart and Milhouse accidentally join the junior campers… who are led by Ned Flanders. Homer doesn't want to participate in the father-son river-rafting trip, but eventually oblige. This is likely one of the best episodes in season 5. During this father-son rafting trip… Homer botches things up again and Homer, Bart, Flanders, and Flanders' son are stranded in the middle of the ocean… with barely any food to eat or water to drink. Homer says there's plenty of water, unaware of the difference between salt water and pure water. Meanwhile, the other team of junior campers is led by Ernest Borgnine… who sees his pocket knife has been taken from him (by Homer) as he encounters one treacherous situation after another. Homer tries to fish while they are lost at sea, but is unsuccessful. Homer ends up using up all their supplies, including their flares, as well as accidentally piercing their raft with a pocket knife. As they are sinking and dying, they stumble upon a Krusty Burger joint in the middle of the ocean… and they are saved from the brink of death by mere dumb luck. In the end, we see Ernest Borgnine telling the rest of the children a tale while they are sitting around a campfire in the middle of the night… and he is attacked by what appears to be a deadly bear from a first person angle. This was an awesome episode with brilliant and exciting twists and turns… as well as a unique plot and life-threatening situations that make it a purely gritty and severe survival episode. Very well written.

The Simpsons: The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace (1998) Season 10, Episode 2

"The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" is one of the best episode in the tenth season. It has a unique plot with an awesome twist.

[10/10 · 15 June 2011]

This is an amazing episode for being in the later seasons. Homer wants to be an inventor and tries to copy Thomas Edison in every way possible. He rants to everyone about how Edison was so wonderful. He annoys everyone constantly with facts about Edison's career. Eventually, Marge tells Homer to stop the ranting because Edison did so much because he didn't go around ranting about it to others. And so, Homer decides to follow in Edison's footsteps. He pretty much tries to make new inventions... such as a toilet in a couch... or an automatic hammer... and he later stumbles upon another creation, hinges that don't allow his chair to tip over when he lays backward in the chair. He later sees an image of Edison to see that he likely invented that, too. So... Homer decides to go to the Edison Museum to destroy the chair and any evidence of Edison's creation. He almost succeeds when he is about to destroy the chair using his automatic electric hammer... when Homer notices that Edison had idolized Leonardo da Vinci. Homer finds newfound respect for Edison because he was also a man who idolized another. And so, Homer leaves the museum and goes home... Only to watch the news and find that he had left the automatic electric hammer at the museum... and it is portrayed as another of Edison's creations along with the extra chair legs... This completely enrages Homer to no end as he sits in his toilet couch in complete annoyance. This is likely one of my favorite episodes of the tenth season as most others just weren't as good. The connective plot and the overall revelation make the episode unique and memorable.

The Simpsons: Some Enchanted Evening (1990) Season 1, Episode 13

"Some Enchanted Evening" is an awesome episode... likely the best episode of the first season.

[10/10 · 11 June 2011]

This is most likely my favorite episode of the first season. A babysitter named Ms. Lucille Botzcowski comes to babysit the Simpson kids as Homer and Marge go for a night out... Everyone is unaware that Ms. Botz is a bandit and has made a career out of robbing houses. Botz has Bart and Lisa watch the cartoon called the "Happy Little Elves Meet the Curious Bear Cub." Afterwards, Bart and Lisa watch TV to see that Ms. Botz truly is the babysitter bandit... but they are unable to fight back as she comes in and ties them up. Maggie gets out of her crib and crawls towards the already bound Lisa and Bart... who proceed to tell Maggie that they'll put on the Happy Elves video again if she helps untie them. Maggie complies... and the children hatch a plan to take down Ms. Botz. Eventually, Bart hides in a dark closet and sucks on Maggie's pacifier, wielding a baseball bat... and luring Ms. Botz in. He knocks her out cold... and they go to call the authorities. Homer and Marge get home to find Ms. Botz tied and gagged... so Homer unties her and pays her three times the normal pay. The authorities arrive to find that Homer has allowed the notorious babysitter bandit to escape. Of course, Homer pretends to have gone through a struggle... but he knows the truth... he botched everything up again. Very awesome episode. Ms. Botzcowski's character is very vivid and lively. The manner in which the character's movements and actions are depicted are extremely colorful and memorable. She's likely one of my favorite female characters in the series due to her actually maniacal yet calculated mannerisms and movements. This is definitely my favorite episode of the entire first season of this awesome series.

The Simpsons: The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer (1997) Season 8, Episode 9

"El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer" fails due to its very lame ending...

[1/10 · 10 June 2011]

Story: Marge doesn't want Homer to go to the cookout this year due to Homer's previous embarrassments and humiliating experiences where he acts like a moron... well Homer still goes to the cookout and eats lots of Guatemalan peppers to show off in a Mexican standoff fashion showdown... and this makes him hallucinate and act idiotic in front of others. The effect makes him seem drunk and moronic... and he begins to see a vivid yet insane dream sequence where he encounters a huge snake and accidentally breaks a sun replication... his eyes and hands seem to flow in a flurry of watery mayhem... and Homer follows a turtle to a large pyramid, which he proceeds to climb. He talks to a random coyote that is voiced by Johnny Cash... and the coyote tells him to find his soul mate... and in the rest of the episode... Homer wanders around thinking that Marge isn't his soul mate... but he confirms his soul mate to be Marge... that's about it.

Meaning: I think it has something to do with Homer's soul mate being Marge, even though they don't agree about every single facet of their life... this really sucked for a moral... as it was really simplistic and could have been delivered in a shorter time-frame and displayed much simpler rather than wasting a whole ten minutes to establish... which accounts for about half the episode.

The Coyote: This minor character is fairly limited in its appearance... I didn't care much about it overall... but it is fairly awesome in its design... although physical appearance alone isn't enough to judge the character... Johnny Cash's voice didn't make much difference... the coyote doesn't do much but tell Homer to search for his soul mate... and that idea sucked overall in my opinion.

Overall thoughts: I hate this episode. The first half was fairly understandable... the visions and hallucinations that Homer experiences make the episode's first half interesting and unique. The second half of the episode was idiotic and boring... as well as lame. Hardly anything is established in terms of storyline when it comes to the second half of the episode. Due to the fact that I judge an episode for its entirety... Homer's mystical journey ends after ten minutes... the other ten minutes are spent with the character denying whoever his soul mate is... and finds out that it's the very person he thought it wasn't... as Marge follows him to the light house near the waterfront... it was a really poorly written ending... (for example, in my opinion, the character should have found another person as his soul mate... but still stayed with Marge after realizing that sometimes in life, we can't have things the exact way we want in order to maintain a normal life...) This would have made a better ending as this episode really sucked due to the second half sucking so bad... any young child can figure out that Marge and Homer were going to stay together ANYWAY... the plan is to accomplish more in this time rather than dancing around the plot and showing nothing. The episode sucked very badly... if only it would have ended with a better conclusion or a better premise... something that taught us a lesson or Homer facing some form of a moral dilemma where he would have had to choose between his soul mate and Marge would have made a better script and scenario overall... because this one just plain sucked. I really hate this episode due to the fact that it accomplishes nothing and Homer's journey teaches him nothing. It was so bad... the only good thing about it were the hallucinations Homer undergoes... but to judge an entire episode based on these minor instances would be ludicrous and rather foolish...

The Simpsons: Sunday, Cruddy Sunday (1999) Season 10, Episode 12

"Sunday, Cruddy Sunday"... is best described as a really cruddy episode...

[1/10 · 8 June 2011]

Plot: Homer meets a travel agent who gives him and offer to take all his friends to the Super Bowl for free... but only if he can sign them up for a special travel package. Homer convinces the likes of Barney, Lenny, Carl, Moe, Kirk, and a hooplah of others to join his traveling group. All the guys get on a bus... and go to the Super Bowl. However, when they arrive at their destination... they find that the tickets are counterfeit. They are all thrown in a jail precinct (obviously for the counterfeit tickets)... and are randomly but fortunately for them, freed by Dolly Parton... After the group illegally tries to get into the game... they run up to the announcement area (where the game's status is being updated). And so... they eat food there randomly... until this fellow named Rupert Murdoch flies in via helicopter and forces them out of his room. They try to enter the field, but are quickly pushed into the winning team's locker room... where they get to celebrate with them. Homer manages to steal the Super Bowl trophy before the group gets on the bus to leave. That's pretty much the plot... if any.

Story: Well... Homer and his friends go to the Super Bowl and create mischief... and well... they go back... yes... it's that simple.

Supporting characters: If for some reason you're not a huge fan of Dolly Parton (don't care about her music), Rupert Murdoch, Dan Marino, John Madden, etc... then you probably won't like this episode. I'm obviously not a fan of football or any other team sport... so this was just plain boring to me... and Dolly Parton being tossed in an episode for no reason doesn't make it a good episode. The supporting cast fails to do something... well Dolly bails the guys out... but well... that's about it...

The Sport: You don't get to see much... which is good... because it would have sucked anyway.

Overall: Don't expect to be amazed by awesome things happening... there's hardly anything that happens. The episode just shows a bunch of guys going to a game (which we don't see anyway... which would have sucked even if we did see it since it's just another boring football game)... and having fake tickets... oh wow... that's about it... I don't know how else to praise this episode and anything I say will just show some form of sarcasm... so let me just conclude that this episode really sucked... so unless you're a fan of "going to a football game with the guys" and that's about it... then you won't like this episode much. It was horrible. The plot was horrible... the story sucked... the atmosphere sucked... it just plain sucked.