It doesn’t normally take all that a lot to show The Simpsons’ fandom right into a deluge of sizzling takes, whether or not they be optimistic, damaging, or a heaping combination of each. Such was the case within the days following the airing of Season 35’s “McMansion & Spouse,” an episode by which Homer joked about “strangling the boy” in entrance of a brand new neighbor, solely to comb the act beneath the rug by saying he doesn’t do this anymore. The supposed shift in parenting sparked myriad opinions from all sides, however all of the ethical commentary was for naught, with co-creator James L. Brooks firmly placing his foot down (presumably not on Bart’s crotch) in clarifying the scenario.
Three weeks after the episode in query first aired, the TV legend that helped convey The Simpsons to life spoke with Folks and confirmed past a shadow (knight) of a doubt that Homer didn’t all of the sudden fall backwards into higher parenting abilities, and there aren’t any plans to formally stop that aspect of this father-son relationship. In line with Brooks:
Don’t assume for a second we’re altering something. . . . Nothing’s getting tamed. Nothing, nothing, nothing. He’ll proceed to be strangled—[if] you need to use that terrible time period for it. He’ll proceed to be cherished by his father in a particular approach.
Contemplating all of the occasions The Simpsons has appeared to appropriately predict the longer term, from Olympic gold for U.S. males’s curling to seemingly not possible automobile accidents, it’s maybe comprehensible that viewers would assume Homer eschewing strangulation as a punishment was setting a reputable precedent for the remainder of its record-breaking run on Fox. It’s additionally a present whose inventive group often makes use of real-world fan reactions for jokes and references — showrunner Matt Selman talked to CinemaBlend concerning the (for now) last use of the Homer hedge GIF — so it makes complete sense that Homer’s line is
However typically a spade is a spade, and typically a personality who has spent 35 years bullshitting anybody and everybody round him continues to be a bullshitter. And although Homer will not be a fountain of couth, he holds simply sufficient widespread sense to understand that he in all probability should not weight the professionals and cons of compressing Bart’s neck out loud, a lot much less in entrance of outsiders.
Although James L. Brooks solely now had the possibility to talk on to followers on the matter, co-creator Matt Groening himself responded to the fracas by penning a brand new shot of Homer throttling his pointy-haired kiddo.
Homer Simpson was unavailable for remark as he was busy strangling Bart. pic.twitter.com/Yh6koeqTQSNovember 9, 2023
Will these clarifications put an finish all of the fanbase’s opinions floating across the Web? In fact not. As an alternative, now the argument will get flipped round, with the previously indignant viewers championing the dearth of change, whereas the previously happy viewers will decry the continued abuse. Not that Homer has really strangled Bart with any regularity in recent times, with the final occasion taking place in Season 31.
The Simpsons‘ previous seasons can be found to stream with a Disney+ subscription, whereas new episodes air Sunday nights on Fox, and can be found to stream the subsequent day with a Hulu subscription.
