The Simpsons: Every Season 1 Episode Ranked

This is an episode you’ll appreciate the older you get. In this instance, we see a marriage crisis erupt between Homer and Marge after he gives her a bowling ball as a birthday present, thinking he’ll get full use of it because she doesn’t bowl. Out of spite, Marge goes bowling alone and stumbles upon ladies’ man Jacques. She grows fond of this man and continue to spend time with him. Meanwhile, a family crumbles as Homer feels a great sense of loneliness whilst Bart and Lisa struggle to come to terms with their parents potentially splitting up.

Here's what Life on the Fast Lane accomplishes – in a short space of 22 minutes, we a given a carefully crafted piece of real drama presented through a cartoon couple. It shouldn’t work but the directing and structure of the episode is done so well that it is achieved.

Thanks to the brilliant voice acting of Albert Brooks, Jacques is conveyed with charisma and sleaze but it’s enough to see why Marge would take an attraction to him. There is palpable tension between Homer and Marge just as much as there is legitimate chemistry between her and Jacques - even the jazzy underscore adds that little something to their romantic fling. There’s also a gorgeous black, white and red ballroom dance sequence between Marge and Jacques thrown in for good measure.

The last act is beautiful. Homer has a final talk with Marge, almost a last cry out for forgiveness, as he first rambles on about her sandwich making skills but then makes a valid point of not keeping feelings bottled up. It's clearly an unprepared speech but it's straight from his heart.

He doesn’t beg on his knees or plead; he just speaks what’s on his mind in the simplest way he knows. After he leaves the house, Marge says “Goodbye, Homer” and the tone of her voice almost implies that she could be saying goodbye forever. Meanwhile, Jacques is getting ready for her entrance and is absolutely confident that she’ll give in to having an affair. Marge is then met with a literal fork in the road and makes a tough decision of who to be with.

The ending is satisfying and touching – with a tribute to the movie An Officer and a Gentlemen, Marge meets Homer directly at work and his sorrows instantly turn to happiness. The sentimental romance may not be to everyone’s taste overall but overall, this really is some of the most mature, intelligent drama you’ll ever watch in a cartoon sitcom.