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Ah yes, we are now at the end of what some people call the end of The Simpsons golden age, and I have to say that if this was really the end, then I think it went off on a pretty high note. In my last two scorecards, I talked about how this show began to shift its writing style in favor of one that's mostly comedy-based with some heartfelt episodes sprinkled in, and seeing as though season 9 went in a far wackier and comedic direction, season 10 is surely the next step, right?

  Actually no, this season rectified a few issues that I had with season 9. Make no mistake, you can pluck the best episodes out of S9-S10 and they can be mistaken for an episode in the other seasons that were wacky (this isn't even a flaw in the first place, but let me continue), but season 9 had a problem where sometimes, characters could do actions or say things that weren't in-line for them, and they were often passed off as jokes. That doesn't exist in season 10 with one glaring exception being Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble, which I am going to have an aside about.
  That episode had Homer be out-of-character by literally allowing his father's kidneys to explode... and this is passed off as an unfunny joke. This is something this show would never ever do in S1-8 because the comedy never relied on characters acting brutish, and it's especially wrong of Homer to do this. He's clumsy and impulsive, but malicious and cruel he is not, and this fact completely killed this episode because Homer is actually my favorite character on this series, and this season made me realize that since 5 out of 10 of the episodes in my top 10 list have him play a major role. The other dud in this season is When You Dish Upon a Star which is just substanceless and boring with sparse jokes.

  Other than two duds, this season carries no overarching problems at all. The rest of the season is still very funny, even if it's lacking in the poignancy of episodes like And Maggie Makes Three or Lisa's First Word... well... besides Bart the Mother which is one of Bart's best appearances simply for exposing a naturally compassionate side of him. Throwing a thousand jokes at you per minute is the norm of this season, and a majority of them happen to work, and all I ask of any show or season is to commit to an idea and follow through with it to the very end. This season's goal was to be entirely comedy-based, and it succeeded greatly at that, and thus, I have no issues with it.

  People really need to give episodes like The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace or Homer to the Max another shot so that they can wake up and realize that The Simpsons didn't immediately go bad. Speaking of Homer to the Max, I absolutely love how all the jokes from this episode simply come from its premise, and it's one that I haven't seen be done by any other show. I can't even describe what happens or how the jokes are structured, but it's an episode that treads into a place so bizarre that it becomes comedy genius.

Does season 10 rank up with Seasons 1-8? Honestly no, it's still an AMAZING season... for now... but it'd be better if it had the god-tier writing of S1-8. As for season 11, I am very scared and I hope it isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

Current season rankings (The ? means these seasons have yet to be updated and are subject to change):

7 >>>> 6 > 8 = 5 > 3 (?) > 10 > 9 > 2 (?) > 4 (?) > 1 (?)

Description
Ah yes, we are now at the end of what some people call the end of The Simpsons golden age, and I have to say that if this was really the end, then I think it went off on a pretty high note. In my last two scorecards, I talked about how this show began to shift its writing style in favor of one that's mostly comedy-based with some heartfelt episodes sprinkled in, and seeing as though season 9 went in a far wackier and comedic direction, season 10 is surely the next step, right?

  Actually no, this season rectified a few issues that I had with season 9. Make no mistake, you can pluck the best episodes out of S9-S10 and they can be mistaken for an episode in the other seasons that were wacky (this isn't even a flaw in the first place, but let me continue), but season 9 had a problem where sometimes, characters could do actions or say things that weren't in-line for them, and they were often passed off as jokes. That doesn't exist in season 10 with one glaring exception being Homer Simpson in: Kidney Trouble, which I am going to have an aside about.
  That episode had Homer be out-of-character by literally allowing his father's kidneys to explode... and this is passed off as an unfunny joke. This is something this show would never ever do in S1-8 because the comedy never relied on characters acting brutish, and it's especially wrong of Homer to do this. He's clumsy and impulsive, but malicious and cruel he is not, and this fact completely killed this episode because Homer is actually my favorite character on this series, and this season made me realize that since 5 out of 10 of the episodes in my top 10 list have him play a major role. The other dud in this season is When You Dish Upon a Star which is just substanceless and boring with sparse jokes.

  Other than two duds, this season carries no overarching problems at all. The rest of the season is still very funny, even if it's lacking in the poignancy of episodes like And Maggie Makes Three or Lisa's First Word... well... besides Bart the Mother which is one of Bart's best appearances simply for exposing a naturally compassionate side of him. Throwing a thousand jokes at you per minute is the norm of this season, and a majority of them happen to work, and all I ask of any show or season is to commit to an idea and follow through with it to the very end. This season's goal was to be entirely comedy-based, and it succeeded greatly at that, and thus, I have no issues with it.

  People really need to give episodes like The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace or Homer to the Max another shot so that they can wake up and realize that The Simpsons didn't immediately go bad. Speaking of Homer to the Max, I absolutely love how all the jokes from this episode simply come from its premise, and it's one that I haven't seen be done by any other show. I can't even describe what happens or how the jokes are structured, but it's an episode that treads into a place so bizarre that it becomes comedy genius.

Does season 10 rank up with Seasons 1-8? Honestly no, it's still an AMAZING season... for now... but it'd be better if it had the god-tier writing of S1-8. As for season 11, I am very scared and I hope it isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

Current season rankings (The ? means these seasons have yet to be updated and are subject to change):

7 >>>> 6 > 8 = 5 > 3 (?) > 10 > 9 > 2 (?) > 4 (?) > 1 (?)