The BEST episodes directed by Nancy Kruse
#1 - There's Something About Marrying
The Simpsons - Season 16 - Episode 10
When Springfield legalizes same-sex marriage, Homer becomes a minister, and a townsperson comes out of the closet.
#2 - Faith Off
The Simpsons - Season 11 - Episode 11
Homer gets a bucket stuck on his head, and when it is removed the town is convinced that Bart has the powers of a faith healer. Then mobster Fat Tony tries to turn the boy's spiritual abilities into more sinister directions.
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#3 - The Bob Next Door
The Simpsons - Season 21 - Episode 22
Bart becomes convinced that his new neighbor, Walt, is his archenemy, Sideshow Bob, disguised and back for revenge. But when Marge tries to convince Bart otherwise by taking him to visit the state penitentiary, a disturbing truth is revealed.
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#4 - Midnight Rx
The Simpsons - Season 16 - Episode 6
When Mr. Burns cancels his employee prescription drug program, other companies follow suit. Homer, Abe, Ned, and Apu hatch a plan travel to Canada to bring drugs back to Springfield, until an unfortunate incident gets their cover blown.
#5 - Today, I Am a Klown
The Simpsons - Season 15 - Episode 6
Maggie is locked in the bathroom and is eventually freed when Lisa goes against the norm and tries their rescue solution as second time. Then the family hears the doorbell. They find Dr. Hibbert at the door; it seems that SLH had impregnated his poodle and he is turn over the puppies to the Simpson family and making them their problem. Despite a book that says that Homer was taking Homer to have SLH neutered, Homer was never able to complete the deed. They distribute the puppies and Lisa and Bart stop by Krusty's house and give him one of the puppies. Krusty takes the dog for a walk and finds that his star is not included on the Jewish walk of fame. He goes to complain and finds out that he was never Bar Mitzvah, which means he is technically not Jewish. Bart and Lisa take Krusty to see his father, who agrees to help Krusty achieve his goal. As Saturday is the Sabbath, Krusty gets Homer to replace his show on that day. Homer's replacement show is a talk show, with Moe, Lenny & Carl as his guest panelists. The replacement show becomes a success; meanwhile Krusty works on learning his Jewish traditions. Homer's show has become so popular that the network decides to fire Krusty. Homer's incredibly popular and Lisa wants to put his power to good use. Krusty pitches the FOX network on a new show that covers his Bar Mitzvah. Meanwhile, Homer's attempt to start covering topics based on Lisa's suggestions, but it becomes a ratings nightmare resulting in his cancellation. Meanwhile, on FOX Krusty's Bar Mitzvah is a rating's bonanza, but the spectacle disappoints his father. Later at a real Jewish temple, Krusty has a real, almost serious, Bar Mitzvah.
#6 - Hungry Hungry Homer
The Simpsons - Season 12 - Episode 15
Homer is forced to go on a hunger strike by the Springfield Isotopes after uncovering a secret plan to have the baseball team moved to New Mexico.
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#7 - Last Tap Dance in Springfield
The Simpsons - Season 11 - Episode 20
Lisa enters a tap dancing academy, where the teacher is a child star who never quite grew up. Meanwhile, Homer gets laser eye surgery.
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#8 - Girls Just Want to Have Sums
The Simpsons - Season 17 - Episode 19
The family attends "Stab-A-Lot: The Itchy and Scratchy Musical." The musical's director is a graduate of Springfield Elementary and Principal Skinner puts his foot in mouth when he makes sexist comments about her education and that of women in general. He tries to make the situation better, but only buries himself deeper and deeper until he is fired and replaced by Women's Educational Expert Melanie Upfoot. The first thing she does is split the school into girls and the boys. Lisa dislikes the way girls are being taught math and she ventures over to the boy's side of the school in search of a challenge. Disguising herself as Jake Boyman she starts attending the boy's school but while she finds the math problems more interesting, it is being a boy that is a greater challenge.
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#9 - Jaws Wired Shut
The Simpsons - Season 13 - Episode 9
Homer breaks his jaw in an accident, requiring it to be wired shut for a month. His resulting inability to talk makes him a better listener, and he becomes closer to family and friends because of it. They all like the new Homer much better, but when the wires come off and Homer retains his new attitude, everyone begins to miss the old Homer's antics.
#10 - Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?
The Simpsons - Season 11 - Episode 3
With Lisa's help, Homer uses his vast knowledge of food to become the town's leading restaurant critic. But when he gets petty and vindictive in his criticisms, all the other chefs in town try to kill him.
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#11 - Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
The Simpsons - Season 20 - Episode 6
Lisa learns she is good at crossword puzzles and enters a city-wide contest. Homer discovers he has a flair for letting loved ones down so he opens Sweet Conclusions Break-Up Service, but lands himself in trouble with his daughter when he places a bet against her in the competition.
#12 - Rome-Old and Juli-Eh
The Simpsons - Season 18 - Episode 15
When Homer accidentally declares bankruptcy, Grandpa ends up leaving the Springfield Retirement Castle and falls in love with Selma; Bart and Lisa con a delivery man out of cardboard boxes.
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#13 - MoneyBART
The Simpsons - Season 22 - Episode 3
Lisa starts coaching Bart's Little League team; Marge and Bart spend the day at an amusement park, where former MLB manager Mike Scioscia gives Bart advice.
#14 - See Homer Run
The Simpsons - Season 17 - Episode 6
Homer is ready for everyone to shower him with gifts on Father’s Day and Marge and the kids go to the mall to obtain the presents. Lisa decides she is going to make something for her father, while Bart purchases the Leather Buddy multi-function knife. Lisa’s heartfelt gift doesn’t go over as well as Bart’s knife and Homer doesn’t immediately do anything to make Lisa feel any better. Bart sees a street sign with his name on it and the bullies entice him into stealing it. Homer makes a lame attempt at making up to Lisa. At school Lisa goes on a rampage. Citing her father as the cause, Principal Skinner and the school psychologist talk with Homer and Marge about what they can do to prevent Lisa from growing up to hate men. Homer becomes the school safety salamander. His initial pathetic attempts at safety don’t change her feelings for her father, until an accident at the intersection of Evergreen Terrace and the unsigned Bart Blvd. The safety salamander rescues all the victims of the accident and Homer is awarded the keycard to the city. Then the mayor comes under fire for the many disasters under his administration and it is decided that a recall election is going to be held. With a number of ridiculous candidates running, Lisa decides that her father, with his popularity as the safety salamander, would be the ideal choice. With Lisa as his campaign manager, everything is going well, until Marge washes his salamander suit. When it shrinks and tears apart is reveals the man underneath, whom nobody is interested in voting for, but at least Homer and Lisa strengthen their relationship. Finally when none of the candidates garner enough votes to take over as mayor, it’s business as usual in Springfield government.
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#15 - We're on the Road to D'ohwhere
The Simpsons - Season 17 - Episode 11
Bart obtains the key to the steam tunnels under the school and with Milhouse they go down to check them out. When Bart turns just one of the little valves they find in the valve room the chain reaction causes chaos throughout the school. Bart is caught and Skinner wants to send him to a discipline camp in Oregon. When Bart can’t fly there alone, Homer has to drive him there himself and that is going to cause him to miss the trip to Las Vegas that Moe is sponsoring for all his regular customers. While the boys are gone, Marge and Lisa take some of the boys' old stuff and hold a yard sale, but the only things that sell well are their old medications and that gets her into bit of trouble.
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#16 - Simpsons Bible Stories
The Simpsons - Season 10 - Episode 18
When Reverend Lovejoy subjects the congregation to an extended Bible reading, the Simpsons fall asleep and have dreams based on Bible stories.
#17 - My Mother the Carjacker
The Simpsons - Season 15 - Episode 2
Homer's mother returns to Springfield, and the city pardons her from the charges against her. Mr. Burns is furious about this and makes a plan to get Mona Simpson in prison.
#18 - A Star Is Torn
The Simpsons - Season 16 - Episode 18
The family tries to eat a total vegetarian meal and everyone except Lisa gets sick from eating the healthy meal. As they moan from the sickness Lisa sings them to sleep. The next morning they've recovered enough to go back to their old dietary habits. On television a commercial airs for a Krusty-sponsored "Li'l Starmaker" competition and Lisa's singing voice seems a natural for the competition. Of course, Lisa and every other child in Springfield signs up. When Clarissa, one of the competitors sings the same song that Lisa was going to sing, and does it much better than Lisa believes she will be able to, Homer reassures her that he will write her a can't lose song. Lisa sings the song and makes it into the final competition. Homer takes charge of her career and writes her more songs that take her into the finals of the competition; it's Lisa versus Cameron, a boy all the girls go crazy over. When Homer oversteps his bounds with his obnoxiousness, Lisa fires him. Homer retaliates by getting himself a new client, Cameron. The final competition begins and Lisa's sings a song she wrote on her own, a song about her relationship with her father. Homer tells her that he was always in her corner and that Cameron is learning the greatest lesson he can ever learn in the music business, don't trust people in the music business.
#19 - G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)
The Simpsons - Season 18 - Episode 5
Bart pre-enlists in the Army and when Homer goes to the Recruitment Center to clear up the mess, he is tricked into enlisting in the Army himself. Upon completion of basic training, Homer is assigned to lead some troops against a disgruntled Army Colonel in a war games simulation.
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#20 - I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can
The Simpsons - Season 14 - Episode 12
Lisa participates in the Spellympics, but Homer is busy traveling cross-country as Krusty Burger test-markets a new sandwich. Lisa is confident that she will win until she learns that the contest is rigged against her.
#21 - The Ziff Who Came to Dinner
The Simpsons - Season 15 - Episode 14
Homer tries to take the kids (Bart, Lisa Rod & Todd) to a movie; meanwhile Ned has taken the seniors for ice cream to celebrate Jasper's birthday. With all the kid friendly movies sold out, Homer (on Lenny's recommendation – he's in the movie) takes the kids to see "The Re-Deadening" a horror film that really scares the children. So much so that Bart and Lisa begin hearing noises from the attic. They try to investigate, but their fears scare them out of the attic. They get Homer to lead an investigation into the attic and they find that Artie Ziff has been living there. Ziff tells them why he is living in their attic, his Internet business failed and he's lost everything. He wants to stay there and promises to be on his best behavior until he gets back on his feet. Artie stays, but Marge sees a news report that the SEC is looking for Artie Ziff. Meanwhile, Artie is playing poker with Homer and his friends. Artie puts up 98% of his remaining stock to make a bet and Homer wins the pot, just as the SEC sweeps in to arrest Ziff. Homer (as majority stockholder) is taken into custody. Homer is put on trial and sentenced to ten years in prison. Marge tells Artie that the only reason no one likes him is because he only thinks of himself, which he soon begins to realize and after a night of passion with the only Bouvier sister (Selma) he can have he Ziff turns over his corporate books and Homer is exonerated.
#22 - Eeny Teeny Maya Moe
The Simpsons - Season 20 - Episode 16
Moe once again searches for love and falls for a woman named Maya over the Internet. However, when Moe meets Maya face-to-face, he discovers it's more like face-to-knee, as Maya is only three feet tall.
#23 - Husbands and Knives
The Simpsons - Season 19 - Episode 7
Marge starts up a new women-only gym in Springfield and Homer frets about losing her after she becomes a highly successful businesswoman. Meanwhile, Coolsville, a new comic book shop, opens up in Springfield and puts Comic Book Guy out of business.
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#24 - The Devil Wears Nada
The Simpsons - Season 21 - Episode 5
Marge and a group called the "Charity Chicks" pose for a calendar in hopes of raising money for charity, but Marge becomes the talk of the town thanks to her racy poses. Meanwhile, Carl is chosen as the newest supervisor at the nuclear power plant, and hires Homer to be his personal assistant.
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#25 - Apocalypse Cow
The Simpsons - Season 19 - Episode 17
Bart joins the 4-H club and falls in love with a cow named Lou, but when he finds out that Lou is destined for the slaughterhouse Bart gives the cow to Mary, a fellow 4-H member, and her father mistakes the cow for a dowry. Homer and Marge come to the rescue to try and free Bart from his marriage agreement.
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