Ranking All 25 The Simpsons Season Finales
8. Blood Feud
Season: 2
Blood Feud is the episode of The Simpsons in which the family is "rewarded" by that big ugly stone head in their basement - and is the finale of season two. After Mr. Burns is desperately in need of a blood transfusion, the family finds out that Bart is a compatible donor, and Homer encourages him to donate, expecting a big reward for saving his bosses life.
When only a thank you note is forthcoming, Homer loses his cool and writes an angry letter to Mr. Burns, which soon lands him in hot water.
The reason the episode works, beyond classic scenes like Homer pretending to be Mr. Burns at the post office to retrieve the letter, only to admit he doesn't know "his" first name, is the reaction of Springfield's oldest billionaire: after some interference from Smithers, he doesn't release the hounds or crush Homer like a bug.
Instead, he rewards the family with the rather impressive giant head, which, while not the load of cash Homer was wishing for, is rather cool in Bart's eyes - and he's the one who gave blood, after all.