The Simpsons (TV Series) One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish (1991) User Reviews

One of my favourite Simpsons episodes

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 12 March 2011]

When The Simpsons was good it was great. One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish epitomises why I loved The Simpsons so much. It is not my all-time favourite, that's Cape Feare, but it is for me up there with the best and an example of an episode where it is funny and poignant at the same time.

The writing is fantastic in this episode. It still has the snappy lines and humour that you would expect in a standard Simpsons episode, but the last five minutes were so reflective and heart-wrenching I found myself tearing up. One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish also has an engaging and poignant story that almost anybody I think upon watching would identify with.

The animation is top notch, with vibrant colours, colourful backgrounds, well-modelled characters and well-judged gestures and facial expressions, and the music is wholly memorable as well. The voice acting as it always is is superb, with the real plaudits going to Dan Castallenetta, while Homer is still the Homer we know and love we also feel for him and Castallenetta's voice work is what made it so.

All in all, a wonderful episode and one of the best of the show. 10/10 Bethany Cox

One of the best

[studioAT · 10/10 · 19 March 2020]

Excellent. This is the show at its best.

I loved how the second half of this episode doesn't really go for big laughs, instead letting warmth/heart take over.

It's a shame that more modern episodes seem to have lost this element at times.

Homer's Bucket List

[NoraHowe · 10/10 · 3 August 2022]

A very funny & poignant episode. For me this and "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" would be my personal favourites.

IMHO this episode would appeal to Simpson's fans of all generations.

I have no problem recommending this show!

Great episode

[Rectangular_businessman · 10/10 · 20 July 2010]

I don't know of what the other reviewer is talking about. This what a great episode! One of the very best on the entire "Simpsons" series and this reminds me why I used to love so much this series in first place: This episode is poignant, funny and heartwarming, and is one of the most moving in the entire series. Too bad that most of the recent episodes of the Simpsons aren't so good as this one...However, I still like a lot the series. This episode is proof enough to understand why the Simpsons were so popular and influential (I know that they are still popular and influential, but you know of what I am talking about)

If only "The Simpsons" still were what they used to be...

10/10

Fantastic Episode!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 1 April 2014]

The eleventh episode in the second season of the Simpsons is possibly the greatest episode to date and definitely the most emotional. I won't lie when I say I may have shed a tear or two. This episode explores the question, what would you do if you had 24 hours left to live. Not a thrilling thought, but one that is worth answering.

In this episode, "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish," the Simpsons decide to eat at this sushi restaurant and Homer decides to eat the often-fatal blowfish dish. After being told he has 24 hours to live, Homer decides to live his life to the fullest.

Overall, this is such a tender episode. There are some rather funny moments, but the episode is mostly sad because of the premise. But it's a wonderful episode that features great voice-work from Larry King. Morally, this is probably one of the best early Simpsons episodes. I rate this episode 9/10.

An endearing, poignant, but truly entertaining episode

[Sotalo · 9/10 · 16 November 2013]

No, it's not the greatest episode of the series, but there aren't many that show us the dear, vulnerable side of Homer and run with it as far as this one does.

After unwittingly eating a poisonous dish at a Japanese restaurant, Homer is told that he only has 24 hours to live. He makes a list of things he wants to do, but things don't go exactly as planned. What could very easily break the series' comedy and irreverent humor instead turns out some great moments like Homer's home video for Maggie. The video, made to show her the kind of man her father was, ends with Homer losing his temper and scratching his butt after being interrupted by a phone call.

In this episode, we get to see Homer at his most genuine and best, truly caring for his family and friends, all with the classic Simpsons irreverence and comedy running through the background. It all ends so poignantly as Homer prefers to go alone, in his robe, sitting on a reclining chair, facing the night sky outside his window, listening to the bible on cassette by Larry King. It's a scene of such emotional gravity that The Simpsons may never achieve it again. That's not even mentioning the great antithetical credits gag that perfectly sums up the character and entire episode.

However, it's such an odd episode that it's difficult to call it the penultimate series' best. Homer is forced to act more honest under the circumstances, and many other characters go out of their way to allow him the necessary consolation. You won't really see the dull, happy-go- lucky doughnut lover here, nor the dysfunctional family dynamics, but that's the magic of an episode like this: characters can act out of character so long as it's both dramatic and amusing. Sure, why not? It's an excellent episode that shines through as one of the series' best, no matter how off-kilter it may be.

"One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" is such an emotional roller-coaster... one of the best episodes ever.

[Zabon · 10/10 · 5 June 2011]

Homer goes to an oriental restaurant and eats a poisoned blowfish. This results in Dr. Hibbert's diagnosis alerting him to the dangerous scenario that he has approximately twenty-four hours to live. Homer tries to make a list of things to do in this time-frame prior to his coming demise. He listens to Lisa playing her sax, talks to Bart, makes a video for Maggie for when she grows older, spends time with his dad (Abe Simpson) and temporarily goes to jail for speeding... and Barney bails him out. He doesn't have time to sit for dinner after spending time in the bar with his pals. So when he gets home, he spends one last night with Marge. He wakes up earlier than usual and begins to listen to Larry King reading the Bible on tape. He falls asleep on the couch (and his hand falls down, making it look as if he's passed on). Marge runs down to see his collapsed body... but his drool is still warm... which means he's alive! Homer promises to live life to the fullest... and is seen sitting on the couch watching television and eating pork rinds. The episode has an emotional breakdown and a return to the delirium that is the accepted norm of life; Very clever twist... and overall well written episode.

DEEP AND FANTASTIC

[JoacoRacing29 · 10/10 · 15 June 2020]

I m running The Simpsons from zero and this is the first episode I found excellent. Made contact with being human and his primal fear: death. And the show performs this deeply and with his trademark sense of humour. Close applause.

Simpsons peak

[safenoe · 9/10 · 20 April 2022]

For me the first 10 seasons of The Simpsons is worth watching, and this episode represents Simpsons peak for sure, with Homer daring to partake of the infamous blowfish. Quite funny, with Homer getting used to Japanese cuisine in his Homerish way.

Atmosphere

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 28 June 2022]

Homer is diagnosed with food poisoning and given 24 hours to live.

This is a very strong episode with great humour and emotion.

It is set up with a moment of ridicule about the bland structure of family mealtime before the memorable comedy at the Happy Sumo restaurant. I love the Japanese characters and karaoke scenes.

It is a great character-defining story for Homer as we find out the true loves and main priorities of his life with plenty of laughs and poignant moments.

Just like the strongest Simpsons episodes, it ends with great warmth and an excellent final gag.

9/10!

[Analog_Devotee · 9/10 · 4 June 2021]

Due to some bad sushi, Homer's doctor tells him he's only got 24 hours to live! So he makes a list and attempts to do everything by the end of the 24 hours. Very fun episode.

A Ragged Death

[tedg · 1 December 2007]

A good friend illustrated a clever writing technique to me by quoting this episode. It had to do with the economy of stating a threat. The example was marvelous, stellar. So I sought his out and guess what? Its not there. This talented writer and analyst had remembered something into this.

In fact, this episode is rather typical: the jokes are few and mild, the story linked to simple morals. The jokes are all in the characters, as James Brooks would always have it. But they are like those old Peanuts comic strips. We project things onto it. For that to happen, it needs to present a consistent, strong framework where the characters all illuminate a cosmology that we understand well enough to people with our imaginations.

Then it has to be effectively empty. The story is thin, the moral obvious and not worth absorbing. The drawing style needs to be sparse. This gives us something to visit each week that we can fill with whatever we bring to it. And afterward, we can remember is as being more clever than it was, because we define cleverness into it.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

The acclaim for this episode is somewhat confusing

[riparianmoler · 2/10 · 7 August 2020]

I do not understand why this episode gets so much acclaim. The only funny part is the beginning, where the family is at the diner. Other than that, the only reason this episode gets hoisted to two stats is because of the great voice acting.

Other than those things, this episode is rather unfunny and depressing. Homer orders a poison fish for no reason, then eats it, then finds out he only has so long to live. He tries to do everything he enjoys doing at the end of his life, then goes to jail and gets bailed out by Barney. At the very end of the day, he listens to a Larry King interview and doesn't die. And that's it. I may have gotten the plot a bit wrong, because I only watched the episode once.

So, why the acclaim? The plot doesn't seem too great, and there are much better episodes in season 2 and beyond. This episode is depressing and mostly unfunny.

What Would You Do?

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 11 April 2022]

Homer eat a poison blowfish at a sushi bar and is given 24 hours to live. He goes through Kubler-Ross's five stages of dying in a few seconds, then makes a list of everything he will do before the sad moment. Some of it is quite stark, but there are tender moments.