WhileThe Simpsonsseason 36, episode 11 might have brought back the show’s most controversial recurring gag, the joke wasn’t divisive for the reason that the creators might have predicted.The Simpsonsis the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show ever, as well as the longest-running animated show and the longest-running sitcom in US television history. As such, even beforeThe Simpsonsseason 37’s renewalis confirmed, it is fair to say that times have changed in the years since the series first began airing back in the late 80s.
However, this statement apparently felt controversial to some viewers of the series. In season 35, episode 3, “McMansion & Wife,” Homer admitted that he got his strong handshake from strangling Bart before adding that he no longer utilizes corporal punishment since “Times have changed.” AlthoughdarkerSimpsonsstorylineshave never been in short supply and the show still regularly featured similarly grim gags, this caused a minor controversy as viewers and commentators debated whether Homer really had given up on strangling his son.
The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 11 Featured Jokes About Homer Strangling Bart
Homer Told Smithers To Strangle Bart If He Felt Frustrated
Judging by season 36, episode 11, “Bottle Episode,”The Simpsonstruly refuses to let go of Homer strangling Bart. In this chaotic outing, Homer is tasked with bringing a $1 million bottle of wine to Mr. Burns’ mansion, only for Marge to use the bottle to flavor a stew. When Smithers arrives, he is horrified to learn of the mix-up. A penitent Homer tells him he can strangle Bart to release his frustration if it would make him feel better. This prompts Bart to cheerily agree that “It’s what I bring to the table.”
Homer’s casual mistreatment of Bart has been a recurring gag throughout the show’s 36 seasons.
The gag came shortly after a sequence where Homer shoved Bart’s face in his bowl of stew as his son refused to eat the stew made with exorbitantly expensive wine. Homer’s casual mistreatment of Bart has been a recurring gag throughout the show’s 36 seasons, although the series moved away from this somewhat in recent outings. In season 22, episode 17, “Love Is a Many Strangled Thing,”The Simpsonsdevoted an entire episode to Homer’s mistreatment of Bart, andThe Simpsons Moviefeatured two scenes of Homer strangling his young son.
The Simpsons Recently Addressed Homer And Bart’s Controversial Dynamic
Co-Creator James L Brooks Promised Homer Would Never Stop Strangling Bart
That gag from “Bottle Episode” might be a meta-joke acknowledging the minor controversy that ensued after “McMansion & Wife” aired a little over a year earlier. In an interview withPeopleMagazine,producer James L. Brooks said Homer would continue to strangle Bart for the foreseeable future. AsThe Simpsonsseason 36’s lengthy mid-season hiatusproves, the show has changed a lot in its time on the air. As such, adamantly insisting that Homer would continue with this behavior was a way for the creators to prove that the series held some things sacred.
The Simpsons Season 36 Adapted A Shockingly Dark Real-Life Story
The Simpsons season 36 episode 12 takes inspiration from the strangest, and most unexpectedly dark, source imaginable for its bleak story of survival.
However, Homer wasn’t wrong when he noted that times had changed. Gags about Homer strangling Bart don’t land the way they used to, meaningThe Simpsonsneeds to find new ways to approach the evergreen gag. Otherwise,The Simpsonsrisks feeling outdated, redundant, and reactionary. If there is one thing that the ratings ofThe Simpsonsprove, it is that the series needs to offer viewers something unexpected to keep them engaged. This explains whyThe Simpsonsseason 36’s Treehouse of Horror episodesfared so much better with viewers than ordinary outings.
The Simpsons Season 36 Already Included Homer Strangling Bart
The Premiere Centered On This Controversial Gag
In season 36, episode 1, “Bart’s Birthday,”The Simpsonsmanaged to make a joke about Homer strangling Bart feel fresh and originalwith a meta twist. Bart was trapped in an AI-generated series finale full of sentimental clichés, but he escaped by tricking Homer into strangling him. This unpleasant act returned the main characters to the messier, more flawed, and imperfect world ofThe Simpsons, where Homer’s drinking hadn’t been solved by therapy, Lisa wasn’t en route to a prestigious music scholarship, and Milhouse’s family wasn’t moving to Atlanta so Kirk could become a successful singer.
The joke about Homer strangling Bart in “Bart’s Birthday” worked because it highlighted how outdated and uncomfortable the series staple has become. In-universe,The Simpsonsseries finale was written by “Hack GPT,” an AI that had ostensibly been trained on every series finale in existence. This meant that it could only produce the most anodyne, predictable, and unproblematic content possible, so the sight of Homer strangling Bart was enough to break its coding and stop the finale in its tracks.
The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 11’s Bart Gag Highlighted A Bigger Problem
Bart’s Role In The Simpsons Season 36 Has Been Limited
With this joke,The Simpsonsseason 36 tacitly admitted that Homer strangling Bart is one of the show’s more controversial running gags. However, whileThe Simpsonsseason 36’s darker storiesprove the show can handle grim plots surprisingly well, there was another, unrelated reason that Homer’s mistreatment of Bart in “Bottle Episode” felt unexpected. As surprising as it may sound, Bart hasn’t had much of a role in season 36 so far, so Homer’s son wasn’t wrong when he said that getting strangled was all he brings to the table.
“The Yellow Lotus” only featured a brief role for Bart, despite its main villain being his arch nemesis, Sideshow Bob.
He had main roles in the season 35 finale, “Bart’s Brain,” and the season 36 premiere, “Bart’s Birthday.” However, he has since only enjoyed minor background parts in the rest of season 36, and “Bottle Episode” was no exception. Season 36, episode 4, “Shoddy Heat,” focused on Grampa, while episode 3, “Desperately Seeking Lisa,” was a riff on Martin Scorsese’s After Hours that barely featured any screen time for the family at all save for Lisa. Even episode 2, “The Yellow Lotus,” only featured a brief role for Bart, despite its main villain being his arch nemesis, Sideshow Bob.
Bart’s minor role in season 36 made the strangling joke in “Bottle Episode” feel unintentionally mean-spirited, since it really does seem like Bart has almost no role in the show anymore. Hopefully,The Simpsonswill redress this imbalance in the coming outings. If Bart had a bigger part to play in the world ofThe Simpsonsat large, then the show’s jokes about Homer mistreating his son would seem a little less grim and a lot more like a throwback to the show’s early days.
