Donuts on the Couch: Growing Up on Evergreen Terrace

Andrew Murray and Thom Partridge
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Arts
  • Series

Former college roommates Thom Partridge and Dr. Andrew Murray revisit every episode of The Simpsons through the eyes of two dads in their 40s, exploring the humor, heart, and surprising depth of Springfield one episode at a time.

  1. Episode 1

    Bart Gets an "F" - S02E01

    Season 2 of Donuts on the Couch: Growing Up on Evergreen Terrace begins with “Bart Gets an ‘F,’” an episode that finds Bart facing the unthinkable: actually having to study. Andrew and Thom revisit Bart’s increasingly desperate attempts to avoid failing the fourth grade, from bluffing his way through a book report to recruiting Martin Prince as a study partner—and getting thoroughly distracted along the way. They also look at the episode through adult and parental eyes, talking about school struggles, shame, the questionable wisdom of Springfield’s school psychiatrist, and what it means when kids are genuinely trying but still falling short. Plus: childhood arcade memories, “Big Gorilla Night,” soup skin, Bart’s refrigerator art, and one of the show’s earliest genuinely moving endings.

  2. Episode 2

    Simpson and Delilah - S02E02

    Homer discovers a miracle hair-restoration treatment and suddenly finds himself with a full head of hair, newfound confidence, and—because this is Springfield—a promotion to junior executive. Andrew and Thom revisit “Simpson and Delilah,” an episode whose jokes about baldness and vanity hit a little differently in middle age. They talk about appearance, self-confidence, workplace status, and Homer’s wonderfully supportive new assistant, Karl, voiced by Harvey Fierstein. Along the way: questionable insurance claims, executive bathrooms, singing telegrams, tartar sauce, personal haircut stories, and the remarkable fact that in 1990 The Simpsons gave Homer a gay mentor who is arguably one of the most emotionally intelligent people he ever meets. What seemed like an episode about magic hair as kids turns out to be a surprisingly thoughtful story about whether confidence comes from how other people see us—or how we see ourselves.

  3. Episode 3

    Treehouse of Horror - S02E03

    The Simpsons celebrate Halloween for the first time, and Andrew and Thom revisit the episode that launched one of the show’s longest-running traditions. They make their way through all three stories—“Bad Dream House,” “Hungry Are the Damned,” and “The Raven”—while talking about haunted-house movies, childhood fears, psychological horror, and why this first Treehouse feels almost tame compared with the increasingly elaborate installments that would follow. Along the way, they revisit Kang and Kodos’ very first appearance, debate the Simpsons’ judgment when accepting food from mysterious aliens, and take another look at the episode’s unexpectedly faithful adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” narrated by James Earl Jones. A segment that didn’t do much for them as kids turns out to be one of the episode’s biggest surprises when viewed again as adults. It’s Halloween on Evergreen Terrace: cursed houses, suspicious cookbooks, classic literature—and the beginning of a Simpsons tradition that would become almost a show unto itself.

    Treehouse of Horror - S02E03

  4. Episode 4

    Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish - S02E04

    In Season 2, Episode 4, Andrew and Thom revisit “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”—an episode they remember very differently from childhood. When Blinky the three-eyed fish becomes evidence of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant’s questionable safety record, Mr. Burns comes up with the obvious solution: run for governor and change the rules. Andrew and Thom dig into an episode packed with political satire that largely sailed over their heads as kids, from campaign consultants, spin doctors and mudslingers to manufactured populism, attack politics, Michael Dukakis, Herbert Hoover, and Burns’s wonderfully bizarre attempts to understand the “common man.” They also rediscover just how funny Burns is in this episode, ponder the political usefulness of smiling, meet Average Joe Six Pack, Johnny Lunchpail, Sally Housecoat and Eddie Punchclock—and appreciate a side of Marge they didn’t fully recognize as kids. Because after an entire campaign built around convincing Springfield that Blinky is perfectly safe to eat, Marge has a remarkably simple way of settling the question. Grab a donut and join us on the couch as we revisit one of the earliest Simpsons episodes that seems to have been written at least as much for the adults in the room as the kids.

  5. Episode 5

    Dancin' Homer - S02E05

    This week on Donuts on the Couch: Growing Up on Evergreen Terrace, Andrew and Thom head to the ballpark for Season 2, Episode 5, “Dancin’ Homer.” When Homer’s spontaneous dancing inspires the struggling Springfield Isotopes, he goes from an enthusiastic fan to a hometown celebrity — and soon gets called up to the big leagues in Capital City. But can Dancin’ Homer’s small-town charm survive under the bright lights? Andrew and Thom don’t entirely agree on this one. Thom finds plenty to love in the baseball nostalgia, while Andrew wonders whether a collection of great jokes can overcome an oddly disjointed story. Along the way, they revisit childhood autograph hunting, minor-league baseball, absurdly cheap 72-ounce beers, Bleeding Gums Murphy’s 26-minute national anthem, Mr. Burns’ spitball, Pie Traynor’s childhood love of pie, and the enduring appeal of a good ballpark mascot. They also find some unexpected grown-up territory: what it means to make a major life decision when you have a family to consider, just how supportive Marge really is of Homer’s questionable career choices, and why stories of humiliation and failure can sometimes make us like someone even more. Grab a donut, a comically oversized Duff, and join us for Homer’s brief rise from Springfield sensation to Capital City flop.

  6. Episode 6

    Dead Putting Society - S02E06

    This week on Donuts on the Couch, Andrew and Thom revisit “Dead Putting Society,” an episode that feels increasingly like The Simpsons entering its classic era: sharper animation, richer character details, and a story built around one of Springfield’s most enduring relationships — Homer Simpson versus Ned Flanders.  Homer’s jealousy of Ned turns a neighborhood disagreement into an absurdly high-stakes miniature golf tournament between Bart and Todd. Along the way, we talk about Homer’s inability to tolerate criticism, Ned’s almost compulsive need to make things right, and the very different ways the two fathers respond to their children.   The episode also leads us into a broader conversation about parenting: how much of our own interests and ambitions inevitably get passed on to our kids, when encouragement becomes pressure, and how difficult it can be to separate what we want from what they actually enjoy. Bart may be competing in the tournament, but he quickly realizes that he’s really a pawn in Homer’s rivalry with Flanders.  Fortunately, Lisa steps in with the kind of support Bart actually needs — teaching him geometry, meditation, and the value of having someone simply say, “I believe in you.” We talk about why that kind of encouragement matters, and why kids often need to receive confidence from the people around them before they can begin to carry it themselves.   We also get distracted by some important questions: Why is Ned’s personalized stationery so funny? Whatever happened to speed dial? Does Sir Putt-A-Lot owe Bart and Todd another ten dollars? And how, exactly, did Homer fit into Marge’s Sunday dress?   Grab a donut, have a seat on the couch, and join us for Season 2, Episode 6: “Dead Putting Society.”

  7. Episode 7

    Bart vs Thanksgiving - S02E07

    Thanksgiving comes to Evergreen Terrace, and the Simpsons are serving up sibling rivalry, family tension, canned cranberry sauce, critical relatives, and one very memorable ruined centerpiece. This week, Andrew and Thom revisit Bart vs. Thanksgiving, an episode they remember from childhood but understand very differently as adults. They talk about Bart and Lisa fighting over territory, Marge trying to hold together a holiday while being pulled in every direction, Homer’s questionable parenting contributions, and what it means to be caught in the “sandwich generation” between children and aging parents. Along the way, they dig into the episode’s surprisingly rich details: Lisa’s tribute to trailblazing women, the Bart Simpson balloon appearing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade the very day this episode originally aired, Mr. Burns living at the intersection of wealth and greed, a Les Misérables reference hidden in plain sight, and the developmental milestone of graduating from canned cranberry sauce. But underneath the jokes is one of the show’s earliest and most thoughtful looks at sibling conflict. Why does Bart hurt Lisa when even he doesn’t understand why? What happens when guilt starts to feel like being “all bad”? And how do kids learn to recognize the impact they have on the people they love? Grab a donut, find a place on the couch, and join us for a Thanksgiving episode that hits a little differently when you’re no longer seated at the kids' table.

  8. Episode 8

    Bart the Daredevil - S02E08

    This week on Donuts on the Couch, Andrew and Thom revisit Season 2, Episode 8: “Bart the Daredevil” — an episode packed with wrestling, monster trucks, skateboards, broken bones, and one of the most memorable gags in early Simpsons history. After Bart becomes captivated by daredevil Lance Murdock, he decides Springfield Gorge is his next great challenge. Along the way, we meet Dr. Hibbert, revisit the glory days of monster-truck commercials and childhood stunt culture, and appreciate just how beautifully this episode stretches a joke until it becomes absurd. But watching it as dads adds another layer. Bart’s rebellion and risk-taking feel a little different when you’re the parent trying to give your kids enough freedom to explore the world while also keeping them from launching themselves over a gorge. Plus: Homer and Bart’s shared love of Truckasaurus, Lisa’s recital, childhood injuries, old-school playground games, and the question every parent eventually asks: How far do you let your kid go before you have to step in? Grab a donut and have a seat on the couch as we head back to Evergreen Terrace for one of Season 2’s classics.

  9. Episode 9

    Itchy & Scratchy & Marge - S02E09

    This week on Donuts on the Couch, Andrew and Thom revisit Season 2, Episode 9: “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge.” After Maggie clobbers Homer with a mallet, Marge starts wondering whether all that cartoon violence might actually be rubbing off on the kids. What follows is a surprisingly thoughtful Simpsons take on censorship, parenting, free expression, and the question every generation eventually asks: What exactly should we be protecting our kids from? Along the way, we talk about how much children learn simply by watching us, why our personal ideas of what is “acceptable” often come from places we barely understand, and how the episode’s debate over Itchy & Scratchy feels even more relevant in an age of phones, tablets, and endless access to content. We also get Homer’s disastrous woodworking phase, an impressively faithful Psycho parody, Dr. Marvin Monroe live from Vienna, Roger Meyers Jr., some questionable protest signs, and a Springfield suddenly forced to discover what happens when the TV gets turned off. Then Michelangelo’s Dave arrives in town, forcing Marge to confront the limits of her own argument: why is one form of expression worth protecting while another should be censored? Plus: leaving your phone at home, dangerous childhood toys, soapbox racers, Nerf-gun warfare, and the continuing realization that many of the jokes we completely missed as kids are now some of the funniest parts of The Simpsons. Grab a donut and have a seat on the couch.

  10. Episode 10

    Bart Gets Hit by a Car - S02E10

    Bart gets hit by Mr. Burns’ car, but somehow that’s only the beginning. This week on Donuts on the Couch, Andrew and Thom revisit Season 2, Episode 10, “Bart Gets Hit by a Car”—an episode that starts with a near-death experience and quickly turns into a story about lawsuits, greed, marriage, and some extremely questionable professional ethics. Along the way, we get the first appearances of two Springfield institutions: Lionel Hutz and Dr. Nick Riviera, giving us plenty of reasons to appreciate the brilliance of Phil Hartman and to wonder how much of our understanding of dishonest lawyers, dubious doctors, and the adult world came directly from The Simpsons. We also revisit Bart’s trip to the afterlife, Mr. Burns’ attempt to settle things with a nickel, Homer’s dreams of a million-dollar payday, Marge’s refusal to lie, the recurring release of the hounds—and the surprisingly dark moment when Homer wonders whether losing the money has changed how he feels about his wife. Grab a donut and have a seat on the couch as we look back at an episode that seemed much simpler when we were eight.

  11. Episode 11

    One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish - S02E11

    Homer branches out from meatloaf and pork chop night, discovers sushi, and promptly learns he may have only 24 hours left to live. This week, Andrew and Thom revisit “One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish,” an episode that somehow turns poisonous pufferfish, karaoke, shaving lessons, prank calls, Larry King, and an increasingly frantic bucket list into one of the most thoughtful episodes of The Simpsons so far. Along the way, we talk about Homer's surprisingly touching attempts to connect with Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Marge, and Grampa; the difference between understanding death as a kid and confronting mortality as an adult; why the “five stages of grief” aren't as neat as people sometimes imagine; and the strange ways we try to make our lives feel permanent. Plus: Richie Sakai gives the karaoke performance of a lifetime, Mrs. Krabappel has plans of her own, Bart learns three indispensable phrases for getting through life, and Homer discovers exactly how long a new lease on life lasts when there's bowling on TV.

See All Season 2 (11)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Former college roommates Thom Partridge and Dr. Andrew Murray revisit every episode of The Simpsons through the eyes of two dads in their 40s, exploring the humor, heart, and surprising depth of Springfield one episode at a time.

Information