The Simpsons: 10 Exceptional Episodes From The Last 10 Years

By Adam Woolhouse /

5. "Holidays Of Future Passed" - Season 23

Plot: Set 30 years in the future, Bart and Lisa struggle with the difficulties of parenthood - Bart as a divorced father of two boys who don't respect him; Lisa with a teenage daughter who wants nothing to do with her, while rockstar Maggie is set to become a first-time mother. Easily the best future-episode of The Simpsons since the first one ("Lisa's Wedding", Season 6) this episode uses a combination of truly touching moments (Bart and Lisa splitting a bottle of wine in the treehouse while complaining about their children/marriages/etc. and Homer introducing his grandsons to his father in an underground cryogenics facility) and laugh-out-loud moments of lunacy (Krusty evolves into an Andy Rooney-style commentator; Ralph Wiggum becoming the new chief, cloning himself a hundred times over, and each clone meeting its horrible death at the hands of the next Ralph clone) to reach the audience. At one time, this episode was discussed as being a Series Finale, and it would have made a pretty darn good one, too. Funniest Moment: Pardon the quality, but the Ralph clones have to be seen to be appreciated: