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7) The Homega Man (Treehouse of Horror VIII)

I had a difficult choice here in that another beloved segment, Dial Z for Zombies, is thematically similar enough that I could not justify putting both on the list. And that is a shame because both of them are near and dear to my zombie-loving heart. In the end, I used a tiebreaker, which is my favorite line for either episode. “"I stand by all my ethnic slurs.” I bust up at this one like few jokes in the show’s history. It’s such perfect dialogue for Mayor Quimby and the fact that an ineffectual politician in such a low level position as small town mayor could accidentally trigger a world war is hysterically over the top, just the right level of cartoonish. And my challenge to you, should you choose to accept it, is to work this line of dialogue into conversation this week, preferably at work. “Come on! We just wanna eat your skin!”

6) Time and Punishment (Treehouse of Horror V)

“Oh no. It’s raining again.” And with those words, Homer runs away from pastry fields of Elysium. Time and Punishment is a blueprint example of why The Simpsons is better served avoiding horror film clichés and instead exploring classic science fiction themes instead. Thanks to the magic of a time traveling toaster, quite possibly the one that has spent the past few years laughing at Homer, he is allowed to travel back to the time before dinosaurs were kept only at zoos. And while there, he makes some questionable decisions that lead to one of the greatest moments in the show’s history. Tired of tip-toeing around a series of lifeforms whose alteration could affect history, Homer goes another way with it…as only he can. “Stupid bug! You go squish now!” If you didn’t laugh at the thought of that, we cannot be friends. It’s the most priceless example of id Homer’s character has ever shown…that didn’t involve alcohol.

5) Desperately Xeeking Xena (Treehouse of Horror X)

“Xena needs Xex.”

What more do I need to say? If Lucy Lawless, the flying heroine who keeps telling people she is not Xena, isn’t enough for you, then you are asking for too much. Of course, this episode offers so much more, particularly a fantastic series of shivs at diehard Simpsons fans who ask too many questions about the show’s minutiae. Magic xylophones aside, the segment offers the single best villain in the history of Treehouse of Horror episodes (sorry, Witch dating George Cauldron). The Collector is the role Comic Book Guy was born to play, a virginal nerd who collects items as diverse as dual-edged light sabers and…Yasmine Bleeth. There isn’t a lot of logic to his compulsion, but my stars in heaven, it’s funny. By the time he ends his life in the Lorne Greene in Battlestar Galactica pose, I am almost ready to declare The Collector a worthy foe for Hank Scorpio…except for the fact that Scorpio pulled off Project Arcturus while The Collector is dumb enough to fall for the ol’ “Got your lips!” routine.

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