2023-11-06 19:23:00
After 34 years on the air, “The Simpsons” have decided to end with one of their most emblematic jokes
After 34 years on the air and 750 episodes broadcast, The Simpsons have decided to retire one of their classic jokes in favor of adapting to generational changes. During the most recent episode of the series titled McMansion & Wife (reference to the 70’s series McMillan & Wife), the protagonist Homer Simpson revealed that he has stopped strangling his son Bart.
Despite being one of the most famous dynamics between father and son on the show, this action has been widely criticized in recent years for encouraging violence. In this new episode, which has also given a lot to talk regarding, Homer introduced himself to his new neighbor Thayer with a handshake, the new character highlights the strength of Homer’s grip, to which the head of the Simpson family responded: “Look, Marge, strangling the guy was worth it… Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. Times have changed,” said Homer in a meta-referential statement that indicates that many things have changed in society since the series premiered in 1989.
After 34 years on the air, Homer has finally stopped strangling Bart Credits: X/@BabyLamb5
The episode first aired in late October, but Homer’s comment sparked conversation online when a viewer posted the scene on X (formerly known as Twitter) during the first days of November.
“I knew my man Homer was going to learn. He’s a smart guy”, “Disney wants The Simpsons to be suitable for the whole family, so getting rid of old gags that today would be considered offensive or abusive is a very wise decision”, “It has always been considered child abuse, even before the program started,” are some of the comments that the episode has generated.
The last time the show featured Homer strangling Bart was at the beginning of season 31 in the episode The Winter of Our Monetized Content. In this one, Homer and Bart go viral following accidentally recording themselves in one of their classic fights, causing a network expert to look for them to generate even more viral content.
The last time Homer and Bart had one of their classic fights was in the season 31 episode “The Winter of Our Monetized Content.”
However, the issue of violence between parents and children had already been discussed on several occasions. In the season 22 episode Love is a Many Strangled Thing, Homer attends a “parenting enrichment class” at the suggestion of his wife Marge. During class, basketball player Karim Abdul-Jabbar teaches Homer what it feels like to “be young, small and terrified” by strangling him and inviting others to do the same.
Traumatized by his experience, Homer discovers that he should not strangle Bart. However, in the season 24 episode Love is a Many-Splintered Thing, Homer resumed his method of punishment and strangled Bart in front of his friend Milhouse, who was terrified by the scene.
Although many network users have applauded the decision to end the violence between Homer and Bart, the reactions were not the same with the departure of Apu’s character from the program (Courtesy: Fox Television)
Although everything seems to indicate that the vast majority of fans of the series agree that Homer should not strangle Bart once more, the program has not had this good reception when dealing with the character of Apu, whom they decided to eliminate completely. .
Apu was an Indian character who was played by white actor Hank Azaria and the series was criticized for this casting choice and its stereotypical characterization. As of 2018, this character was quietly removed from the series, and although all fans blamed the creators, it was Azaria himself who confessed to no longer feeling comfortable with playing Apu.
“What I created in Hollywood through my character Apu — who is a great reference in this country and in the world — helped create a very marginalizing and dehumanizing stereotype,” declared the voice actor in 2023.
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