Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Simpsons season 35, episode 18.

While The Simpsons season 35 finale might not seem like the show’s darkest hour, the episode did hide a surprisingly grim gag in its offbeat storyline. The Simpsons season 35 was shorter than most of the show’s outings due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. With only 18 episodes, season 35 had less time to explore the titular family than its predecessors, but the long-running animated comedy still managed to impress. With a renewed focus on the eponymous family and a storytelling style that centered on emotional impact over random absurdity, The Simpsons season 35 boasted real stakes.

Since the Simpsons never age, it can be tricky for the series to lend its weekly adventures dramatic heft. However, season 35, episode 18, “Bart’s Brain,” managed this feat with a story of Bart growing unexpectedly attached to a human brain in a jar. This zany premise sounds like the sort of high-concept silliness that has garnered the show criticism since its Golden Age ended, but the sweet plot was surprisingly poignant in places. The Simpsons season 36 could learn from the outing’s tone, although one subtle joke was darker than most of the show’s usual gags.

Milhouse’s Mom Almost Poisoned Bart

The Simpsons Season 16 Revealed His Cauliflower Allergy

In “Bart’s Brain,” Bart was tasked with looking after a brain in a jar after he brought the macabre curiosity into school and caused a cafeteria-wide vomiting cascade. Bart took a break from caring for his brain to hang around at Milhouse’s house, tasking his father with looking after the morbid object. While he was at Milhouse’s house, Milhouse’s mother, Luann Van Houten, brought Bart and Milhouse an entire cauliflower to snack on, even though Bart is allergic to the vegetable. This was first revealed in season 16, episode 17, “The Heartbroke Kid,” when Bart struggled with his weight.

Bart’s return home saw The Simpsons season 35 solve a Homer mystery that the show has ignored for years, but the series never addressed Luann Van Houten’s dangerous choice of snack food. Luann served Bart and Milhouse an entire cauliflower even though, along with shrimp, this is one of Bart’s known allergies. Luckily, Bart didn’t eat any of the vegetables Luann prepared, so his allergic reaction wasn’t triggered. Instead, the cauliflower reminded Bart of his beloved brain, prompting him to leave Milhouse’s house and return home without sampling the snack. Milhouse ate the cauliflower at the scene’s ending.

Luann Van Houten And Bart’s The Simpsons Feud Explained

Milhouse’s Mother Never Approved Of Bart

Although Luann Van Houten’s attempts to poison Bart in “Bart’s Brain” may seem extreme, Milhouse’s mother has disapproved of him for decades. Season 35, episode 13, “Clan of the Cave Mom,” saw Luann ban Bart from her home, but as far back as season 3, episode 5, “Homer Defined,” she always disapproved of him. Marge’s season 35 character arc ended with her threatening to disown Bart over his creepy obsession with the brain, but Luann could be seen dragging Bart out of her house by the ear years earlier. Thus, this dark The Simpsons feud has a canonical basis.