The Simpsons Season 33 reveals the incident that separates Homer and his mother for good. But in the process of doing so, it invalidates some of its canon episodes.
It is no secret that Homer and his mother Mona did not have the best of relationships.
Previous seasons of The Simpsons have highlighted that while Mona tried to be a good mother, her husband Abe’s affair always loomed in the background, causing her to neglect Homer and distract herself with involvement in the 1960’s hippie movement.
In Season 33, Episode 9, Homer mourns the loss of Mona when he is reminded of her on Mother’s Day. During an online therapy session, we see a flashback to Homer’s teen years:
Abe had convinced a 9-year-old Homer that his mother was dead instead of the truth that she was a fugitive being chased by the FBI. However, when he is 16, Homer receives a postcard from his mother, leading to him connecting the dots.
Along with Abe, Homer decides to track down his mother. Although they do end up finding her, the FBI is hot on their heels, and Mona has to escape.
In the present, Abe comments that they have never seen Mona since.
Now, that’s not particularly true—in Season 7, Episode 8, Mona has a whole episode where she reunited with Homer and Abe in the present day. This episode also gives Mona a fitting backstory on why the FBI was chasing her and consequent reasons to go into hiding.
Mona makes a second comeback to the present in Season 15 Episode 2, and a last present-day appearance in Season 19, Episode 19. The latter is also the episode that depicts her death.
While Season 33’s episode portrays heartfelt moments between Homer and his father, it unnecessarily retcons equally emotional episodes with his mother—ones that prove Mona was not as uncaring or neglectful as she’s painted to be.
Whether an honest mistake or not, Season 33 Episode 9 was not a good story-telling decision.
About The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company.
The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture and society, television, and the human condition.
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, 34 seasons of the show have been broadcast. It is the longest-running American animated series, the longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, both in terms of seasons and the number of episodes.
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