Ep 18. So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show

In The Simpsons season 4 episode 18, "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show," the residents of Springfield celebrate April Fools' Day with pranks and mischief. Homer pulls a prank on Bart that goes wrong and leads to him being hospitalized after a dangerous altercation with one of his son's inventions. As the Simpson family gathers around Homer's bed, they take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about some of their most memorable moments.

The episode consists mostly of clips from past episodes woven together with new footage of the family in the hospital. Through the use of flashbacks, viewers are taken through a variety of memorable episodes from the first four seasons of the show. While the clips are a highlight for fans of the series, the new footage featuring the family in the hospital isn't as memorable or entertaining.

The episode opens with Bart pranking Homer by shaking a beer can and handing it to him. When Homer opens the can, it explodes in his face, causing him to angrily chase Bart around the house. In retaliation, Homer decides to pull his own prank by hiding inside of a fridge to scare Bart. When Bart opens the fridge, he has no idea that someone is inside, so he decides to hit it with a baseball bat, unknowingly causing Homer to fall out and hit his head.

As Homer lies in the hospital room surrounded by his family, they begin to reminisce about past events that they had shared. The clips feature some of the series' classic moments, from Homer's rampage in New York City to Bart's prank calls to Moe's Tavern. The clips are connected by new footage featuring the family in the hospital, but these moments are often forgettable and serve only as a way to transition between the clips.

The episode also features a few new moments that are not featured in past episodes. In one scene, Marge leaves the hospital to buy Homer a balloon, but she becomes lost and ends up in a rundown area of Springfield. The scene is memorable for its use of haunting music and moody lighting, but it's ultimately out of place in an episode that is primarily a clip show.

In another new scene, Homer is visited by an angel who shows him what life would be like if he had never been born. The scene is a direct parody of the classic film It's a Wonderful Life, and while it's entertaining, it feels like a forced attempt to include new content in an episode that is mostly a flashback.

Overall, "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" is a mixed bag. The clips themselves are some of the best moments from the early seasons of the show, but the new footage featuring the family in the hospital feels like filler. The episode is still an enjoyable trip down memory lane for fans of the show, but it's not one of the stronger episodes of the series.