| Season 8
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| Season Information
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Season 8 originally aired between October 27, 1996 and May 18, 1997.
Highlights
The Simpsons' eighth season originally aired between October 27, 1996 and May 18, 1997, beginning with "Treehouse of Horror VII". The show runners for the eighth production season were Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season seven, which Oakley and Weinstein also ran. It also contained two episodes for which Al Jean and Mike Reiss were the show runners.
Season eight won multiple awards, including two Emmy Awards: "Homer's Phobia" won for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or Less) in 1997, and Alf Clausen and Ken Keeler won for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics" with the song "We Put The Spring In Springfield" from the episode "Bart After Dark". Clausen also received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Music Direction" for "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious". "Brother from Another Series" was nominated for the Emmy for "Sound Mixing For a Comedy Series or a Special". For "Homer's Phobia", Mike Anderson won the Annie Award for Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a TV Production, and the WAC Winner Best Director for Primetime Series at the 1998 World Animation Celebration. Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation awarded the episode the GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding TV – Individual Episode".
The DVD box set was released in Region 1 on August 15, 2006, Region 2 on September 2, 2006, and Region 4 on October 2, 2006. The set was released in two different forms: a Maggie-shaped head to match the Homer and Marge shaped heads of the previous two sets and also a standard rectangular shaped box. Like the seventh season box set, both versions are available for sale separately.
Episodes
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| Picture
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#
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Original title
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Original airdate
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Directed by
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Written by
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Prod. code
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154 - 1
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"Treehouse of Horror VII"
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October 27, 1996
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Mike B. Anderson
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Ken Keeler, Dan Greaney & David S. Cohen
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4F02
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| Opening Sequence: Homer tries to light a jack-o'-lantern, but catches his hand on fire, then his whole body, so he starts running around screaming. Then, the title "The Simpsons Halloween Special VII" comes up in blood. In the couch gag, the family runs to the couch, but they keel over and die in front of the Grim Reaper, their corpses landing one on top of another. The Reaper decides to put his feet up and uses Homer's corpse as a footstool.
The Thing and I: Bart discovers he has an evil twin, who is living in the Simpsons' attic.
The Genesis Tub: After intending to prove that sugary drinks will rot teeth, Lisa creates her own miniature universe.
Citizen Kang: Kang and Kodos impersonate presidential candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole in order to invade Earth.
Guest starring Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton.
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| 100px
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155 - 2
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"You Only Move Twice"
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November 3, 1996
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Mike B. Anderson
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John Swartzwelder
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3F23
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| When Homer accepts a new job at the Globex Corporation the Simpson family moves to Cypress Creek. Homer enjoys his new work and his easy-going boss, but is completely unaware that his boss is an evil genius and that the company is a vehicle for international extortion. The rest of the family have trouble settling in Cypress Creek and Homer must make a choice between Cypress Creek and Springfield.
Guest starring Albert Brooks as Hank Scorpio.
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156 - 3
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"The Homer They Fall"
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November 10, 1996
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Mark Kirkland
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Jonathan Collier
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4F03
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| When Bart is beaten up by school bullies, Homer takes matters into his own hands. Although Homer is unable to make his point, Moe is impressed by his ability to withstand a beating. Moe talks Homer into becoming a boxer with Moe as his manager. His sole strategy is to let opponents knock themselves out while pounding on Homer. Promoter Lucius Sweet becomes aware of Homer's rise as a boxer and wants him to fight Drederick Tatum, the heavyweight champion.
Guest starring Michael Buffer as himself and Paul Winfield as Lucius Sweet.
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| 100px
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157 - 4
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"Burns, Baby Burns"
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November 17, 1996
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Jim Reardon
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Ian Maxtone-Graham
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4F05
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| A man named Larry's jaw drops when he sees his father Mr. Burns on a train from Yale to Springfield and Larry immediately follows the train. When he arrives at Mr Burns's mansion he identifies himself as Mr. Burns's long lost son. Burns admits that Larry is the result of a one-night stand and accepts him as his own. Soon, however, Larry proves to be an incurable oaf and Burns gets tired of him. Homer befriends Larry because they share similar interests. Together they fake Larry's kidnapping to win back Burns's love. But when Burns is told that Homer has kidnapped his son Homer and Larry are chased by reporters and the police. When told of the fake kidnapping Burns cannot continue as Larry's father and Larry leaves Springfield to return to his family.
Guest starring Rodney Dangerfield as Larry Burns
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| 100px
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158 - 5
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"Bart After Dark"
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November 24, 1996
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Dominic Polcino
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Richard Appel
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4F06
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| Bart does property damage to a house and Homer makes him do chores to pay for his misdeed. The house turns out to be a burlesque saloon and a group of concerned citizens confront Homer on Bart's work. Marge agrees with the group and joins them in their attempt to oust the saloon from Springfield. In a town hall meeting, Marge convinces the townspeople to demolish the old house, but when the destruction team begins, Homer sings a song that changes everybody's mind. The demolition stops, but Marge's bulldozer accidentally slips out of gear and damages the house.
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159 - 6
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"A Milhouse Divided"
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December 1, 1996
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Steven Dean Moore
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Steve Tompkins
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4F04
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| Kirk and Luann Van Houten's marriage is in trouble and at a dinner party at the Simpson house Luann announces that she wants a divorce. Homer is confident that it will never happen to him, but Kirk tells him how quickly things can change. He realizes that he has taken his marriage for granted and overcompensates by smothering Marge. Deciding that their marriage is finished, Homer secretly files for a divorce from Marge. Homer then surprises her by asking her for her hand in marriage again and Marge accepts. Kirk tries the same strategy with Luann, but she refuses.
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| 100px
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160 - 7
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"Lisa's Date With Density"
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December 15, 1996
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Susie Dietter
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Mike Scully
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4F01
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| Homer finds an autodialer and starts a telemarketing scam. Meanwhile, Nelson is punished for vandalizing Superintendent Chalmers' car and has to help Willie around the schoolyard. When Lisa watches Nelson torment Willie, she finds herself attracted to him and decides to try to change Nelson into a better person. Lisa goes on a date with him and they kiss, but when he is later revealed to be lying about vandalizing Skinner's house, she loses the attraction.
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161 - 8
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"Hurricane Neddy"
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December 29, 1996
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Bob Anderson
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Steve Young
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4F07
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| A hurricane destroys the Flanders' home and they have to move into the church basement. The people of Springfield gather to rebuild their house, but when Ned sees the poor workmanship, he has a complete breakdown. Ned commits himself to a mental institution and his psychiatrist discovers that Ned's past has taught him to suppress his anger. The psychiatrist then teaches Ned to express his anger with Homer as a role model and Ned gets cured.
Guest starring Jon Lovitz
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162 - 9
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"El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer"
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January 5, 1997
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Jim Reardon
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Ken Keeler
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3F24
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| Homer begins to hallucinate after eating a dish laced with potent Guatemalan peppers at the chili cook-off. In this hallucination he meets a mystical coyote, which tells him to find his soul mate. After a fight with Marge, he is concerned that she is not really his soul mate. Homer leaves the house and seeks solitude in a lighthouse. Marge arrives at the lighthouse and apologizes and then Homer realizes that Marge is his soul mate after all.
Guest Starring Johnny Cash
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| 100px
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163 - 10
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"The Springfield Files"
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January 12, 1997
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Steven Dean Moore
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Reid Harrison
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3G01
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| Homer walks home one night from Moe's Tavern. On his way he sees an eerie glowing creature. The next day Homer's story is printed in the local newspaper. FBI agents Mulder and Scully read the story and go to Springfield to investigate this X-file. After talking with Homer they find his credibility shaky and quickly leave again. Bart and Homer then set up a camp to videotape the creature. When the creature appears, Lisa reveals that the creature is actually Mr. Burns after a medical treatment by Dr. Nick.
Guest Starring Leonard Nimoy, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson
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164 - 11
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"The Twisted World of Marge Simpson"
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January 19, 1997
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Chuck Sheetz
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Jennifer Crittenden
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4F08
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| Marge starts a new pretzel franchise after being voted out of the Springfield Investorettes for being too conservative. The Investorettes see this and strike back by getting a falafel van. Homer helps Marge with her business by asking Fat Tony for assistance. Soon the orders pour while the falafel business mysteriously fails. Fat Tony attempts to collect all of Marge's profit, but she refuses. He then sends his goons to the Simpson house where he meets the Japanese mafia, who was sent by the Investorettes, and it ends in a showdown between the two mafias.
Guest Starring Jack Lemmon and Joe Mantegna
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165 - 12
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"Mountain of Madness"
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February 2, 1997
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Mark Kirkland
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John Swartzwelder
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4F10
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| To encourage teamwork, Mr. Burns takes all of his employees to a corporate retreat in the mountains. The employees pair up and Homer becomes Burns's partner. The challenge is to find a cabin on the snowy mountainside. The pair to finish last will be fired. Burns and Homer cheat by using a snowmobile and make it the cabin before everybody else, but an avalanche buries the cabin. Homer and Burns go insane in the cold and get into a fight. In the fight they ignite a propane tank, which rockets the cabin to safety.
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