The Simpsons (TV Series) Saturdays of Thunder (1991) User Reviews

A neat episode from the early days of The Simpsons

[Rectangular_businessman · 8/10 · 20 June 2021]

I really miss episodes like this, where it was shown that despite all his flaws, Homer was a loving father deep inside.

Later episodes made Homer a really horrible father, and his abuse (specially towards Bart) is treated as nothing more than a joke, with the very few instances of genuine good fatherhood reserved only towards Lisa.

Back then, Homer Simpson used to be more than just a "drunken, childish buffoon" as he was described at one point in the series.

The Simpsons win because they do it together

[athomed · 9/10 · 31 December 2011]

Couch gag rating: 7/10 A very short one, similar to many, but not without its charm.

The episode: Homer fails a fatherhood test which spurs him into spending quality time with Bart. Bart's current project happens to be soap box derby. They work together and build a racer. Things become more complicated when Martin's racing hopes end with injury and his much better racer becomes available to Bart.

Favorite moment(s): Homer tearing up at Cat's in the Cradle. The Watching Scotty Grow montage. Homer's confrontation at the doctor's office with Martin. The fatherhood institute. Bill Cosby's Fatherhood book. Homer's use of reverse psychology.

This is a very good Homer/Bart episode from the 3rd season. Nelson and Martin each have significant parts, which certainly benefits the episode. Many sight gags in this episode are completely unrealistic, proving that sight gags were a staple of The Simpsons long before people consider the show went downhill.

Overall rating: 9/10 This is a solid episode. It doesn't stand up to some of the better ones from this season but if you're a fan of Homer and Bart's relationship, check this one out.

Great Homer/Bart Episode!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 13 August 2014]

This is the ninth episode of the third season of the Simpsons and it's a good episode that once again, highlights the relationship between Homer and Bart. This is a funny episode, highlighted by when Homer tears up at the song, "Cat in the Cradle." But this is also an emotional episode as Homer tries to be a better father.

In this episode, "Saturdays of Thunder," Homer feels down after failing a parenting test, so he tries to help Bart enter a soap race derby contest. But when Bart wants to use Martin's car to beat Nelson, Homer feels disappointed and gets depressed.

Overall, this is another good episode that has some clever cultural references from Harry Chapin's famous song and some clever parental insight from Bill Cosby. Excellent episode that shows the funny and the soft sides. I rate this episode 9/10.

Saturdays of Thunder

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 8/10 · 29 January 2022]

This was a very good episode, it features a somewhat rare Martin-Bart team up and shows Martin's bossy side long before it became more of an established trope. Not my favourite episode ever but a really good one nonetheless.

You're also fat

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 13 July 2022]

Homer attempts to spend more quality time with Bart.

This is a another strong fatherhood episode involving Homer with multiple well placed movie tributes.

The character-driven plot has some enjoyable moments for Homer and Bart. The Martin Prince character is written well as support, along with Marge, Patty and Selma. Plus the cameo from McBain is very memorable.

I think the sporting theme and general tribute to Soap Box derby racing is very entertaining, particularly the race sequences and the homages to 'Ben Hur' and 'The Natural'.

Growth of supporting characters

[safenoe · 9/10 · 25 April 2024]

I became a fan of The Simpsons when it debuted all those years ago, and I've seen the early episodes countless of times, and for me, in my humble opinion, it's the first 10 seasons that represent the golden era really, with some episodes beyond that having honorable mentions init. Anyway, Saturdays of Thunder (a parody of the Tony Scott (brother of Ridley) movie features more of Nelson and Martin, and we see how their characters grow as the seasons move on, along with other supporting characters like Superintendent Chalmers. Anyway, Saturdays of Thunder also had a parody of Ben Hur with the chariot race.

Rather Ordinary

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 17 April 2022]

Nothing wrong with the father/son thing. It's just that the whole thing wasn't all that interesting. I always wondered about the soap box derby where many of the little vehicles look like they were designed by automotive designers from Detroit. I would imagine there was a time when the kids actually built them.