Pods in the Key of Springfield: A Simpsons Podcast

Welcome to episode 10 of the Internet's only Simpsons podcast (we think?), which this week is largely about how much James enjoys 'The Raven' portion of the first Treehouse of Horror. It's also about the 2016 election, which, whiff. James and Nick dig into the terrifying precience of that episode with the three-eyed fish and the sheer damn *quality* of Treehouse of Horror, which is really, truly wonderful. There's also a bunch of David Lynch stuff in this one, because James keeps turning this into a David Lynch podcast.Pods in the Key of Springfield: educational, as well as inspid and vapid.Twitter: @KeySpringfieldFB: facebook.com/podsinthekeyofspringfield

We're on to season two now! Season two of The Simpsons, season two of our podcast. We made it, everyone. This time we scope out Bart Gets An F - in which Bart gets an F - and Simpson and Delilah, in which Homer gets a hairs. The DVD skipped a bit, but we weather it. Season two really ramps up fast - the first episode is more harrowing and confronting than we expected - and we're ready to ramp up in turn. There's a good little Harry Potter riff in this one. Nick laughs really hard about it. Show notes are brief on this one because James, your beloved shownote writer, is tired. But, uh, this one's good! I think it might be our best yet! Please enjoy. Follow us on Twitter: @keyspringfieldAnd Facebook: facebook.com/podsinthekeyofspringfield

Having wrapped up the first season, James and Nick check out The Simpsons movie, which they intend to revisit after each individual season, because...I don't know, it seemed like a fun gimmick until we had to actually watch the damn thing.It's perhaps worth admitting that James and Nick end up not talking about The Simpsons Movie all that much. But next week, when season 2 starts back, your two new favourite podcasters (we assume) will be right back into it. Thanks for checking out the first season of our podcast! Like! Subscribe! Call your son, who you know you should talk to more, and tell him about it! 

In episode 7, we have some big shoes to fill. Big shoes to fill. Big shoes to fill. Big sh(etc.) It's the end of the first season of The Simpsons! Krusty gets framed for a crime he very clearly did not commit by Fraiser from Cheers! The Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers Babysitting Service's tremendously relaxed hiring policies cause misadventures for Bart and Lisa! Naturally, we have a lot to say. In this one we try to get to the bottom of how illiteracy works, talk about Stephen King's weird naming policies, and spend a surprisingly long time on The Flintstones. It's good! The Simpsons is good. How many more seasons does it run for after this?

It's episode six! Season one is nearly over! For the duration of this episode a security update threatened to reset the computer within an hour, lending an air of urgency to proceedings (because we could not be bothered getting up). In Homer's Night Out, Homer, like, dances with a woman and his life falls apart, somehow. It's not great, but we have a lot to say! Then The Crepes of Wrath, the family swaps little Bart for an Albanian lad, and it ends up being a good trade. Bring back Adil, please. Across the course of this episode we take on capitalism, Lucille Ball, the Hollywood system, Vegas, Baby, Sherlock Holmes, Carmen Sandiego (and her position within the world) and more. It's good! Pods in the Key of Springfield - "this is our podcast, we'll do whatever we want".

It's episode 5, and I've finally fixed the sound quality so there's no irritating hum! Wonderful. Look, The Simpsons is great, but The Telltale Head is a bonkers episode. We discuss space mutants, the films of Sam Raimi/Chicken Ramen, Nick's Simpsons hair idol, and, uh, the whole thing where Bart cuts the head off a statue and the town collectively decides to kill him. Meanwhile, Life on the Fast Lane has one of our favourite weird line readings of the whole series. There's a lot of other stuff to dig into here (and dig we do), but we probably could have devoted a whole episode to Jacques' onion ring order. Pods in the Key of Springfield: "we're statue fuckers, born and raised".

Season one keeps on rolling, and thus so do we. In this episode, we tackle season highpoint ‘Moaning Lisa’, in which Lisa's 'sadness' is treated with surprising (by season one standards) respect and nuance by the writers, and 'The Call of the Simpsons', in which Homer gets mistaken for a Bigfoot for some reason? The Simpsons is weird. As always, there's a lot to dig into. There's a plagiarizing Jazzman, a neglectful school, a bunch of bears that may or may not eat a baby, a bunch of nudity, and some weird insights into the lives of your two hosts.

As James and Nick continue their deep dive into the first season of The Simpsons, more and more questions start to arise. Are Marvin Monroe's methods scientifically sound? Is getting a boy slightly damp a valid form of revenge? Are we as qualified to talk about the current global political climate, and how it relates to old episodes of The Simpsons? Does Nick's theory of an omlette-shaped Simpsons universe make any sense? Join us as we talk about what these two episodes, with all their inconsistent characterisations and confused tones, mean to us. Follow us on Twitter: @KeySpringfieldFacebook: facebook.com/podsinthekeyofspringfield

James and Nick continue to work through the first season, and find themselves mystified by some of its weirder elements. Do the writers of The Simpsons not understand palindromes? Why does Homer not battle a Cyclops in the show's rendition of The Odyssey? Is Bart, in fact, Wario, and has he invented a Super Goo during Bart the Genius? Turns out there's a lot to dig into here. 

Finally, a podcast about The Simpsons! In this one James and Nick tackle the show's pilot, trying to figure out who Norm is, unpacking the incredible work of that one mall tattoo artist, and blather on about a bunch of other stuff.