Tear Jerker - Back when the Simpsons had heart

I know how Bart feels when it comes to Math.

I just want it on the record: This was the first episode of the second season, during the absolute height of Bartmania. The advertisers set up a "Bart-Cosby" feud, and it was all about how Cosby was old-news traditional values while Bart was America's bad boy. This episode came out on the first day when the Simpsons would be sharing a timeslot with Cosby, and the writers knew it.

But instead of buying into Bart's hype, they wrote an episode that delved into Bart's psychosis and showed him as someone who was deeply aware of his own deficiencies but not talented enough to deal with them, not a two-bit punk. That takes some fucking balls, and it really does show why Bart struck a chord with America better than any catchphrase: people loved Bart, not because he was rude or mean or disrespected his elders, but because he was a human being.