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The Simpsons Season 8 Episodes
Season 8 Episode Guide
25 Episodes 1996 - 1997
Episode 1
Treehouse of Horror VII
Sun, Oct 27, 199630 mins
In "The Thing and I," Bart hears something in the attic one night and his parents tell him that it's his conjoined twin brother, Hugo. Hibbert then reveals that there was an irregularity when he was born and one of the twins was pure evil. Marge and Homer then locked Hugo in the attic and fed him a bucket of fish heads once a week. When Hugo tries to sew him and Bart back together, but Hibbert reveals that Bart was always the evil twin. In "The Genesis Tub," Lisa accidentally creates a rapidly evolving universe in a small tub. This new race calls Lisa a god and Bart the Devil after he attacks. Lisa is brought down to the race's size and is therefore unable to help her people. In "Citizen Kang," Kang and Kodos abduct Homer and tells the aliens of a presidential election after being asked for their leader. The aliens then steal the identity of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole to be elected and take over Earth. Homer tries to get the real guys back, but accidentally kills them. When he gets back, he reveals Kang and Kodos' true identities, but they still take over Earth.
Episode 2
You Only Move Twice
Sun, Nov 3, 199623 mins
The Simpsons move to the town of Cypress Creek, where Homer works for a friendly boss who happens to be a supervillain; the rest of the family has a hard time with the transfer.
Episode 3
The Homer They Fall
Sun, Nov 10, 199630 mins
After discovering that Homer can take punches without feeling any apparent pain,ex-fighter Moe promotes him as a boxer. Homer's punching is poor but he only has to stand still long enough before the opponents are exhausted and collapse. World Heavyweight champion Drederick Tatum is a different matter,however,and Homer takes such a pounding that Moe arrives on a para glider to pluck him to safety. He still takes the money from Tatum's manager Lucius Sweet for the contest though.
Episode 4
Burns, Baby Burns
Sun, Nov 17, 199630 mins
The Simpsons give a lift to a man called Larry who is hitching to Springfield after discovering that he is Burns's long-lost son. Burns is initially happy to see him but tires of Larry's uncouth slobbishness and Larry is befriended by Homer. He decides that Larry might win back his father's love by means of a fake kidnapping. The plan is exposed but Burns forgives Larry, who then goes home to his wife and children.
Episode 5
Bart After Dark
Sun, Nov 24, 199630 mins
Whilst Marge and Lisa are at the coast helping to clean up after an oil spill, Bart, left to his own devices, comes upon a house of ill repute and soon ends up working on the door. Marge is appalled to find that Homer knew but did nothing to stop his son and leads a deputation of local citizens demanding its closure, culminating in her accidentally bull-dozing it.
Episode 6
A Milhouse Divided
Sun, Dec 1, 199630 mins
At a party at the Simpsons' house, Milhouse's parents Luann and Kirk publicly row and later split up, Kirk having to go and live at a motel while Luann takes up with younger Gladiator Chase. Fearing that his own marriage is in jeopardy, Homer divorces Marge so that he can remarry her properly and with ceremony in front of all their friends. Kirk attempts the same with Luann but fails.
Episode 7
Lisa's Date with Density
Sun, Dec 15, 199630 mins
Lisa develops a crush on Nelson, due to his rebellious attitude, she tries to reform him and make him act like a gentleman, but she notices that Nelson hasn't changed his ways after she discovers that he and his friends were responsible for throwing rancid coleslaw at Skinner's house. Meanwhile, Homer finds an electronic dialer and he uses it to create a telemarketer scam in order to get more money from his friends and neighbors. Homer is soon busted by Chief Wiggum for his scam and he is forced to apologize to everyone for his illegal panhandling.
Episode 8
Hurricane Neddy
Sun, Dec 29, 199630 mins
After a hurricane destroys Ned Flanders' house, he suffers a nervous breakdown and is forced to confront repressed problems from his childhood.
Episode 9
The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer
Sun, Jan 5, 199730 mins
Marge's fears that Homer will embarrass her at the annual Springfield Chili Cook-Off again, are reaffirmed when after tasting various bland samples of chili, he comes across a specialty made by Chief Wiggum laced with hallucinogenic Guatemalan peppers. The chili sends him on a psychedelic journey where he meets an imaginary Coyote spirit guide (voiced by country music legend Johnny Cash), who urges him to find his soul mate, causing him to doubt that he should've ever married Marge in the first place.
Episode 10
The Springfield Files
Sun, Jan 12, 199722 mins
In yet another crazed crossover, Leonard Nimoy narrates another tale of the supernatural, reminiscent of his days with "In Search Of." Realizing that even he's too drunk to drive after a night at Moe's Tavern, Homer stumbles through the woods and encounters a green glowing alien. Needless to say, nobody takes him seriously, except for "X-Files" FBI Agent Fox Mulder, who once again drags along his partner Dana Scully on another quest to prove the government is hiding the presence of UFO's from the public. However, even this mission may make a skeptic out of Mulder.
Episode 11
The Twisted World of Marge Simpson
Sun, Jan 19, 199730 mins
Marge goes to work for Frank Ormond,making and selling pretzels and,when he dies,sets up in business for herself. Initially sales are poor until Homer brings in local Mafia boss Fat Tony as her business partner. Sales boom as a result but,unfortunately,any profits vanish due to Fat Tony's 'business agreement' with Homer.
Episode 12
Mountain of Madness
Sun, Feb 2, 199730 mins
Burns takes his staff to Mount Useful for a team-building exercise,the object being to reach a cabin at the top. Paired with Homer,Burns cheats and they reach their destination but experience cabin fever when snowed in by an avalanche. Eventually Homer uses a propane stove to turn the cabin into a sled that sends them back to safety.
Episode 13
Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious
Fri, Feb 7, 199730 mins
Marge Simpson is starting to lose hair due to the stress of running the Simpson household. The family decide to get a nanny and are approached by Shary Bobbins, a Mary Poppins figure in Victorian attire, complete with a flying umbrella. The British nanny seems to bring joy to everyone with her London music hall style singing and eccentric charm. Yet working in the Simpson household soon starts to cause problems for the kindly nursemaid.
Episode 14
The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
Fri, Feb 7, 199730 mins
Krusty becomes alarmed at the flagging ratings for "The Itchy and Scratchy Show" and demands it be corrected. The producers reason some new gimmicks are needed to inject fresh air and - after a focus group doesn't quite go as well as planned - decide to introduce a new character named Poochie, a rapping cartoon dog that is supposed to become friends with Itchy and Scratchy. Homer auditions to do Poochie's voice and wins the part. Poochie's first cartoon, "The Beagle Has Landed," premieres to great fanfare but is poorly received to say the least. The producers decide that, given his spectacular failure, Poochie will be killed off in the mutt's next cartoon. Homer learns about this and at his next recording session, gives a speech imploring everyone to give Poochie a chance. However, the effort is unsuccessful and Poochie's death - along with the correct lines dubbed in - is revealed in the next animated short. Also: A college-aged boy named Roy temporarily moves in with the Simpsons and - in a nod to clichéd characters being used as a gimmick to entice viewership of waning TV shows - does everything to get in the way. Eventually, Roy announces he's moving out and moving in with a pair of sexy ladies.
Episode 15
Homer's Phobia
Sun, Feb 16, 199723 mins
Homer fears that Bart's masculinity is at stake when he suspects he is being influenced by a flamboyant homosexual collectible store owner named John. All his efforts to show Bart how to be a man keep backfiring on him... or do they?
Episode 16
Brother from Another Series
Sun, Feb 23, 199730 mins
Sideshow Bob is released from prison into the custody of his younger brother Cecil (voiced by David Hyde Pierce), Springfield's Chief Hydrological Engineer. He works as the foreman on a new hydroelectric dam. Bart is convinced that Bob is up to something shady again, and follows him everywhere.
Episode 17
My Sister, My Sitter
Sun, Mar 2, 199730 mins
Lisa becomes in demand as a baby-sitter so,when Marge and Homer,attend the opening of the Squidport quay,they leave her in charge at home. An angry Bart plays her up,resulting in his dislocating an arm and bumping his head and Lisa bundles him off to the hospital with Maggie in tow. They end up at Squidport where Lisa is mortified that people should think her incompetent but,after Bart apologises,she ends up back in business.
Episode 18
Homer vs. the 18th Amendment
Sun, Mar 16, 199730 mins
Bart gets drunk during a St. Patrick's Day Parade, provoking the city to enforce a two-hundred year old prohibition law. Rex Banner, an Elliot Ness-type character, takes over the police force to help enforce the law since Wiggum has failed to do so. Meanwhile, Homer decides to make money for himself as a bootlegger, and is soon nicknamed "The Beer Baron".
Episode 19
Grade School Confidential
Sun, Apr 6, 199730 mins
Martin invites his class to his birthday, but the party goes horribly wrong when everyone gets food poisoning after eating oysters instead of having a birthday cake. Everyone, except for Bart, are sent to the hospital to get their stomachs pumped. Bart soon witnesses Mrs. Krabappel and Principal Skinner making out in Martin's playhouse. Bart tries to tell his classmates about what happened, but Edna and Seymour convinces Bart to keep the affair a secret. Bart is forced to be a chaperone to Edna and Seymour, it soon becomes unbearable for him. In retaliation for being humiliated one too many times by his teacher and his principal, Bart exposes the affair to his classmates and the school staff. Principal Skinner and Mrs. Krabappel are soon fired by Superintendent Chalmers. Bart begins to regret his actions, he tries to get Krabappel and Skinner's jobs back. Skinner decides to lie to everyone that he is a virgin, he and Edna are rehired, they continue their relationship.
Episode 20
The Canine Mutiny
Sun, Apr 13, 199730 mins
When the items Bart purchased with a fake credit card are repossessed, he claims that Santa's Little Helper is the dog he bought instead of his new pet, Laddie.
Episode 21
The Old Man and the Lisa
Sun, Apr 20, 199730 mins
When Burns is declared bankrupt,Lisa shows him how to make money out of recycling on condition that he becomes a full convert and renounces his grasping ways. The recycling plant is a success but he reneges on the deal to catch marine life to make 'Li'l Lisa Slurry'. Lisa refuses to take any of the profits and he sells the plant on.
Episode 22
In Marge We Trust
Sun, Apr 27, 199730 mins
Marge helps a disillusioned Rev. Lovejoy when he loses his faith and she becomes a hit as the Listening Lady at the local church,taking over Lovejoy's secular duties. However,when Ned Flanders finds himself in trouble in the baboon pen at the Springfield zoo,the minister miraculously recovers his faith to go and save Ned from the threatening baboons. A puzzled Homer,meanwhile,comes to find out why his face seems to be on the boxes of Mr. Sparkle Japanese detergent powder.
Episode 23
Homer's Enemy
Sun, May 4, 199730 mins
Mr. Burns hires Frank Grimes (the human interest subject of Kent Brockman's report) as executive vice president at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Grimes meets the employees and is immediately stunned at Homer's lackadasial work performance and his co-workers are nonchalant about it. Grimes - already annoyed by Homer's habits - becomes horrified when he observes Homer nearly drink a flask containing a toxic acid in absent-mindedness; however, Grimes is harshly reprimanded when he knocks the vial away and causes damage. Grimes tells Homer that they are "enemies," but Homer - still wanting to be friends - invites "Grimey" over for dinner. However, the attempt only makes matters worse when Grimes sees that Homer is living in a nice home and has a family. Resolved to expose Homer as a fraud once and for all, he hands out a flyer announcing a "design your own power plant" contest, which has all references to this being a contest for elementary school students. However, Homer easily wins the contest, causing Grimes to go crazy. After running amok through the plant and mocking Homer, Grimes touches some electrical wires and is electrocuted. In the subplot, Bart wanders into public auction and submits the winning bid ($1) for an abandoned factory. Bart and Milhouse play around inside until the place crumbles.
Episode 24
The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase
Sun, May 11, 199730 mins
Troy McClure presents three spinoffs: "Chief Wiggum, P.I.," "The Love-Matic Grandpa," and "The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour."
Episode 25
The Secret War of Lisa Simpson
Sun, May 18, 199730 mins
Bart is sent to a military school to be disciplined; Lisa, seeking a challenge, enrolls with him, but faces discrimination as the school's only girl cadet.
