"Bart the Daredevil" is close to, if not the best episode of The Simpsons up to this point in the show's run and it is largely influenced on the back of the show's iconic finale in which Bart whose attempt to jump Springfield Gorge are thwarted by his father. It's undoubtedly one of the show's most iconic moments as well as one of the earliest moments of The Simpsons where the humour is entirely effortless, omnipresent and confident of itself.
Even taking the episode's finale out of context, this is definitely among the finer outings so far in the series. Bart episodes have so far been the highlight of the show for my money at least and this ranks at least as good, if not better, than "Bart Gets an F" as his best episode. Where that episode focused on the heart of Bart, his determinations and struggles and his tendency towards failure, this episode explores his more adventurous, mischievous and rambunctious nature whereby he is inspired to become a daredevil after watching a performance by Lance Murdock.
Even the way the episode is structured works very nicely. As with a lot of episodes of The Simpsons, the main storyline doesn't really kick in until the halfway mark but there's plenty of funny moments and nice touches that build towards that moment whether it be the opening where Bart and his friends as well as Homer and his friends (at Moe's) are watching a wrestling match which Lisa deems is obviously rigged OR Homer and his family attending Lisa's recital for music band which almost coincides with a monster truck rally showing that Homer and Bart want to go to. The world of The Simpsons is really starting to come into its own and the animation and the surprising crispness of it already go a long way in making the world feel believable.
Then there's the finale which deserves another mention. It's absolutely hilarious how much of an unending setpiece that scene is and the animation which has already come a long way since the beginning of the first season really sells the humour, particularly in the moment where Homer begins to slide down Springfield Gorge on Bart's skateboard while trying to emotionally reconcile with his son. It's an absolutely hilarious, show-defining moment that's a definite classic in the series and it just happens to be a near perfect payoff to an episode in which Bart struggles to find a rationality to daredevil tricks.
"Bart the Daredevil" is a classic episode, if mostly for the iconic ending which showed just how confident The Simpsons could be in its full stride. It's another fine Bart episode and this is arguably where The Simpsons really begins to come into its own.
Even taking the episode's finale out of context, this is definitely among the finer outings so far in the series. Bart episodes have so far been the highlight of the show for my money at least and this ranks at least as good, if not better, than "Bart Gets an F" as his best episode. Where that episode focused on the heart of Bart, his determinations and struggles and his tendency towards failure, this episode explores his more adventurous, mischievous and rambunctious nature whereby he is inspired to become a daredevil after watching a performance by Lance Murdock.
Even the way the episode is structured works very nicely. As with a lot of episodes of The Simpsons, the main storyline doesn't really kick in until the halfway mark but there's plenty of funny moments and nice touches that build towards that moment whether it be the opening where Bart and his friends as well as Homer and his friends (at Moe's) are watching a wrestling match which Lisa deems is obviously rigged OR Homer and his family attending Lisa's recital for music band which almost coincides with a monster truck rally showing that Homer and Bart want to go to. The world of The Simpsons is really starting to come into its own and the animation and the surprising crispness of it already go a long way in making the world feel believable.
Then there's the finale which deserves another mention. It's absolutely hilarious how much of an unending setpiece that scene is and the animation which has already come a long way since the beginning of the first season really sells the humour, particularly in the moment where Homer begins to slide down Springfield Gorge on Bart's skateboard while trying to emotionally reconcile with his son. It's an absolutely hilarious, show-defining moment that's a definite classic in the series and it just happens to be a near perfect payoff to an episode in which Bart struggles to find a rationality to daredevil tricks.
"Bart the Daredevil" is a classic episode, if mostly for the iconic ending which showed just how confident The Simpsons could be in its full stride. It's another fine Bart episode and this is arguably where The Simpsons really begins to come into its own.