Lisa on Ice

"Lisa on Ice" remains one of my all time favourite Simpsons episodes. It demonstrates what a brilliantly layered and textured comedy should look like. The overall premise of Bart and Lisa's sibling rivalry, fueled by Homer's escalating push for competition is a winner in itself but what really impressed me about the episode was the density and frequency of so many smart, witty jokes throughout. This typifies vintage Simpsons for me and something I find magical about the show is not matter how many times I have seen an episode I always seem to discover new jokes that I had missed before. Some of my favourites of the episode include Lisa's discovery that Monster Island is actually a peninsula and Homer's unfulfilled request for ketchup for his salad.