'Mr Plow' is one of the most well known Simpsons episodes ever, and is consistently ranked highly amongst fans of the show. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it 20th of all time, and similarly TIME magazine ranked it an incredible 9th on its list of best stories. And all of you reading this have probably already sung the song to yourself at least once as soon as you saw the title. But really the popularity of this episode seems to stem almost entirely from the fact that there is a catchy jingle with incredibly unsubtle sexual innuendo. This episode stands as probably the most vivid example of what made the Simpsons so unique in its early years. It appealed to kids because of Bart and the fact that it was animated, and it appealed to adults equally because they appreciated it for the jokes that flew below the radar of a kids consciousness. Many readers who are old enough to remember watching this episode in the early years can probably recall an adult in the room chuckling away at the song with them, not realising they were laughing for entirely different reasons. That's why the Simpsons worked so well when it launched and why we all have such fond memories of it. But thats really about all that is positively memorable in an episode where it is revealed that Homer is pretty much responsible for Barneys crippling alcoholism. In addition to this horrible revelation Homer and Barney both come off as kind of cruel in this episode, and the closing sequence seems incredibly rushed. The show has its moments, but the idea that out of the nearly 600 episodes the Simpsons staff have crafted, this one would get anywhere near the top ten seems like a little absurd.
Contributor for WhatCulture across the board, and professional student.
Sports obsessed. Movie nerd. Wrestling tragic. Historical junkie.
I have only loved three things my entire life: my family, Batman, and the All Blacks.
