7. Bart Sells His Soul (7x04) - Bart's Existential Crisis
On paper it seems like a strange formula for an episode, but it is written so brilliantly that you find yourself considering the nature of your own soul while laughing along with the gags. After Bart declares that the soul does not exist, he sells his own soul (symbolized with a piece of paper with 'Bart's Soul' written on it) to his friend Milhouse for a measly five dollars. He continues on with his life happily until strange things start occurring: automatic doors no longer work for him, he is unable to find things funny, and the cat and dog reject him. After a nightmare where he is the only child in Springfield without a soul, Bart decides he needs to get it back. A poignant and emotional episode (while still being filled with classic comedy moments), Bart Sells His Soul is a favourite of the show's creator Matt Groening and has even been discussed by scholars of philosophy and religion. The episode's climax contains a nice evaluation by Lisa of the nature of the soul, and the dream at the episode's conclusion where Bart is reunited with his soul has a childlike sweetness to it that will leave you smiling.
Sarah is a twenty-something film school graduate and mother-to-be from Arizona. She loves to write and is currently working on a novel that may be finished sometime in the next fifty years. Doctor Who, Star Trek, Final Fantasy, and Supernatural are among her various obsessions.
