I love the Simpsons, as does every red-blooded resident of this fine country. This uproarious cartoon is America's longest running animated series in history, due in no small part to its sharp writing, excellent acting and its simple stories of modern family turmoil. These elements have allowed the series to transcend the boundaries of traditional cartoons, as its touching and often heartwarming moments make it feel more alive and genuine than any animated show before or since. Now the pivotal second season of The Simpsons is available on DVD, which means no more hacked-up, commercial-infested episodes for us loyal fans! This is the way the show was meant to be viewed, and I personally couldn't be happier with this great DVD set.

Hot off the heels of the insanely popular first season, year two begins with a Bart-centric episode entitled "Bart Gets an F". Immediately visible is the leap forward in animation quality, as the show looks much cleaner and smoother than it did in its initial season. The idea of seasonal continuity is also toyed with here, albeit briefly, as Bart needs to pass his last history exam to move on from the fourth grade. (Of course, we all know he's still there twelve years later.) The show is beginning to sound better as well, with fewer lapses of silence and an increased focus on musical accompaniment; Alf Clausen's scores are really starting to provide the underlying backbone and tone for many of the episodes. Despite being labeled an "outrageous" show, The Simpsons begins to explore moral issues from a family perspective, with a healthy dose of Old Testament justice thrown in for good measure. Name me another show in which children pray to God and those prayers are answered in such a swift and dramatic fashion!

As the episodes progress we can see the quality of the animation increasing, as evidenced by the elaborate Hell sequence in "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" and the complex imagery in "The Raven". Dan Castellaneta is becoming more comfortable in the skin of Homer Simpson, as his expanding range of emotion brings a tangible sense of depth and humanity to the lovable buffoon. Yeardley Smith also brings a warmth and charm to the character of Lisa that has been noticeably lacking in recent seasons; she was more interesting and less grating back in the early days of the show. The writers are clearly coming into their own as well, demonstrated by the wealth of smart dialogue and even smarter jokes expertly weaved into the many tightly-paced episodes. The Simpsons really started to come together in year two, with improved acting and animation coupled with sharper writing, tighter pacing and more compelling storylines.

Season two introduces us to many of our favorite bit players, such as family doctor Julius Hibbert (modeled on Bill Cosby, of course), sleazy attorney Lionel Hutz (incredibly voiced by the late, great Phil Hartman) and Groundskeeper Willie (who was almost a Spaniard!). Many Simpsons staples also arise in season two, such as flashback episodes (first seen in "The Way We Was"), Homer talking to his brain (first seen in "Blood Feud") and a wide variety of pop culture references that were a relatively new thing at the time (McBain, for instance). And of course, season two marks the debut of the Halloween-themed "Treehouse of Horror" specials that for which the series is renowned. While each of the three acts is highly entertaining, I feel compelled to make special mention of Act III's "The Raven", which is a surprisingly up-scale and artistic interpretation of Poe's classic poem (Dan Castellaneta's reading is exceptional). This series has teeth, and Treehouse of Horror proves it.

Fox presents the Second Season of The Simpsons on DVD in a multi-disc boxed set housed in an attractive metallic green cardboard sleeve. The original 22 episodes of the second season are spread across four DVDs, each with English and French language options as well as English and Spanish subtitles. Each episode is presented in its original full-frame ratio, and the visual quality is surprisingly good. The picture is generally sharp and clean with very little color bleed, though some unfortunate artifacting may be visible on high-end televisions. The quality is a cut above broadcast however, and I must say I've never seen these episodes look better. There are still unsightly mistakes in each episode (lines popping, incorrectly colored segments), but these are rarely noticeable unless you pause the show.

Audio is similarly impressive, with a crisp Dobly 5.1 soundtrack that perfectly conveys all of the dialogue, music and sound effects for which the show is known. These episodes sound much sharper and clearer than they ever did on television, making it much easier to appreciate all the hard work that goes into them. Nothing sounds "cartoony" in The Simpsons universe, as the standard "boings" are replaced with real foley work that contributes to the tangible feel of the series. While this is a high-quality production, the set curiously lacks the option to play all the episodes back-to-back. Futzing around with the menus after each episode is a tad cumbersome, as is the rotating head motif that precedes the main menu. Minor quibbles, but they do detract from the experience.

The set includes a cornucopia of dedicated extras, but the true gems of this collection are the audio commentaries that accompany every single episode. That's right, Matt Groening himself is joined by the various writers, directors and producers from the show's second season to discuss everything you could possibly want to know. These highly informative commentaries reveal a plethora of previously-unknown production anecdotes, such as struggles with censors (trying to squeeze in the word "genitalia"), internal disagreements (Groening hates when Captain Sherman winks at the camera in episode 7F20) and celebrities reluctant to associate themselves with the show (Dustin Hoffman is credited as "Sam Etic" for providing the voice of Mr. Bergstrom).

Genuinely entertaining, the commentary tracks provide a wealth of knowledge, and Groening and crew are never afraid to poke fun at themselves (or Fox, for that matter). While I've seen each of these episodes at least a dozen times, they suddenly felt fresh and novel while listening to the often humorous chatter between staff members. And though I've been a huge fan of the show since the beginning, I learned quite a bit about the history of the show (remember the feud with The Cosby Show?) and its myriad influences (Citizen Kane and Gone With the Wind are probably the biggest) from these excellent commentary tracks. Great work, guys. I'm now eagerly anticipating the commentary from season three, which will no doubt be a hoot as well.

The extras don't stop there, as the episodes are supplemented with storyboards, artwork, and short interviews. A pair of music videos also appear on Disc 4 complete with their own commentary ("The Bartman" and "Deep, Deep Trouble"), as well as a few television appearances from 1991 (Nancy Cartwright dressed up as Bart at the American Music Awards? Whatever!). There are also a few foreign language clips, in case you were curious what Homer sounds like in German. Ich bin hungrig! And who could forget those classic Butterfinger TV spots? Not you, as they're immortalized here for your viewing pleasure. This is a solid collection of bonus material, though I would have liked to see more behind-the-scenes stuff. The "Creation of an Episode" featurette with David Silverman is enlightening, and I'd like to see more of that stuff in future sets.

Fox has treated The Simpsons right in its latest DVD set, and The Complete Second Season comes highly recommended for fans of the series. You can get it at some shops for around $30, which is an absolute steal for so much animated goodness. These old episodes are a lot of fun to watch, even more so with the excellent commentary turned on. So pop some popcorn, put on that bootleg Bart Simpson t-shirt, and curl up on the couch for over eight hours of Simpsony goodness.