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What is your favorite season of The Simpsons? If you’re a diehard fan of the series, chances are your answer lies somewhere between Season 5 or 6 and maybe even Season 8. No doubt the golden age of the series is from the first 10 seasons, and after a slow start, the show delivered some incredibly well-written and hilarious episodes that still stand the test of time.

But I want to offer you an alternative suggestion or question: Which season of the Simpsons moved you the most? While I have no argument against Season 5 or 6, which I agree are probably the Simpsons at their peak, no other season has moved me or has been as remarkably different than Season 2. Let me explain.

When it comes to Season 2, there is something so strange about the episodes that make it stand out compared to the genuinely creative and hilarious episodes in the following seasons. I’m not saying they’re not funny here in Season 2, but the broader picture of Season 2 deals with more serious dramatic themes, issues, or even more down-to-earth scenarios. It’s almost like after a quiet, small but comical pilot season, Season 2 marks the first few steps into still finding what this show’s identity is all about. It’s the beginning of something that will become a giant comedic icon, but it’s still finding its feet. As such, I feel like before it gets to the constant hilarity of seasons 3, 4 and so forth, Season 2 is stuck between these two periods of establishing the characters and world against the wonderfully hilarious premises that would soon come after.

Here, we see a world of early comedic drama truly develop into something that is both seriously emotional and seriously fun.