Marking criteria

In my opinion, when reviewing TV shows or movies or really anything, professional TV reviewers or amateur fans alike attempt to do it in two ways: objectively and subjectively. Whereas they may give what they think about each show, they also attempt to represent the views of at least a group of viewers that are most similar to them, and call that "objective review".

Other than the fact that one must realise that no one person can be completely objective at any time and is always biased to an extent, it is also important to factor in that my view in this blog is generally representative of me, and not anyone else. Although I will attempt to be as objective as possible, my motive is not to represent anyone else, but to give as fair a rating as I can provide for each episode. So even though many parts of the scoring criteria may contain an "objective" section and "subjective" section, it is important to realise that the "objective" scoring section is merely a feeble attempt by me to be as objective as possible to rate an episode. It, however, is not the final word. But it is a personal attempt by me to give a fair rating.

Anyways, I hope all that made sense. In general, for each and every episode, there will be a rating out of 10. Out of those 10:

Objective scoring:     /8

• Characterisation:   /5
• Storytelling/Plot:     /3

Subjective scoring:      /2

Grand Total:      /10

Again, while it maybe true that episodes have much more elements to it than just characterisation and plot, it is what I feel are the most important. And in my attempt to be as objective as possible, I feel that the most important elements to provide a fair and objective scoring is based on those two elements.

The subjective scoring section is really just a way to point out the bias I may have toward a certain episode compared to another. Since it is true that everyone is biased in some way, then it is best to indicate how much the bias account for in a marking scale. Also, subjective scoring allows me to truly be me, to truly give a mark not based on intensive character or plot evaluation, but allows me to say whatever I want.

The reason that characterisation is worth so much is because I feel that the Simpsons is special because of that. Many people have said before that what made the Simpsons different and better than any other TV show that had been on before or now is that the Simpsons had heart. It had the power to move you. It had the ability garner at your sympathy and break your heart. And really, I feel that the amount of "heart" an episode have is directly related to the characterisation. If the characterisation is not consistent, there is a lack of relatability and realism in the episode and therefore undermines the impact the episode has on the audience. If the characterisation is consistent, then the characters are more relatable, and the things the characters do and say have more impact, because in a way, they are just caricatures of ourselves.

Storytelling and Plot is also an important factor because it is what makes the story flow. Again, if the story progresses in a believable way, then the story is more realistic. If the episode has a plot that progresses with no plot holes and in a logical way, and has proper and consistent characterisation, then the viewers are more able to relate to the story.

In general, that is my general criteria on evaluating each episode, from the beginning of the classical pilot episode, to the very last Season 23 finale "Lisa Goes Gaga" episode at the time of writing this. At the end, it is just an attempt by me to rate every single Simpsons episode fairly and all based on one marking scale with as little bias as possible, and if there are any, point them out and separate them on another scale.