The Simpsons: 10 Episodes That Would Have Made Perfect Endings
6. Summer Of 4 Ft 2
A series finale should go out on a bang. It should also reaffirm that status quo, remind audiences of everything good about the show and its characters, whilst also offering perhaps something new and interesting to ponder in the year after the deceased series has passed on into the limbo of constant re-runs and syndication. So step forward Summer Of 4 Ft 2, which fits all of that criteria to a tee and comes right at the end of season seven the one that began with Who Shot Mr Burns Pt 2, the one before The Principal And The Pauper, and so presumably the last really good season. And it played with expectations and what you thought you knew about the characters. The family go on holiday and, in a bizarre twist of fate, it's Lisa who befriends the cool kids having decided on trying out a new vacation persona, whilst Bart is treated like kind of a baby. It doesn't last, obviously, but it's a classic example of Bart and Lisa's sibling rivalry falling into a grudging familial love. And Homer buys a lot of fireworks. Out with a bang, indeed....
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
