Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Simpsons season 35, episode 10.
While The Simpsons season 35 has been plagued by one major controversy, episode 10 proves the series is still able to joke about this issue in new outings. The Simpsons has been on the air for 35 years, and things have changed a lot since the show’s first full-length episode aired in 1989. Throughout more than 750 episodes, The Simpsons has moved with the times and abandoned jokes and characters that would be considered problematic by contemporary audiences. However, the long-running animated sitcom hasn’t let go of all of its oldest jokes, even the ones that still cause controversy in 2024.
While The Simpsons season 36 might see the series change its approach, season 35 has not retired one particularly infamous gag. Season 35, episode 3, “McMansion and Wife,” featured a scene where Homer said he no longer strangled his son, Bart, with the show’s main character leaning on the fourth wall by noting that times had changed. This comment led one of the show’s original creators, James L. Brooks, to clarify that Homer would still strangle his son going forward, as The Simpsons would not be retiring this divisive gag. In the weeks that followed, not one, but two episodes of the series mocked this scandal with bait-and-switch jokes.
Homer Almost Strangled Bart in Season 35 Episode 10
The Simpsons parodied this controversy when, in a reversal of expectations, Bart strangled Homer in season 35, episode 7, “It’s a Blunderful Life.” While some of The Simpsons season 35’s weaker episodes relied on big-name cameos to gain attention, this more successful outing used the show’s recent scandal to garner laughs as Bart turned the tables on his father. The series subverted expectations when it came to Homer strangling Bart again in episode 10, “Do the Wrong Thing.” This time around, Homer seemed ready to strangle Bart only to instead hug him, surprising both his son and the show’s viewers in the process.
In the opening scenes of “Do the Wrong Thing,” Homer proved hopeless at fishing, and it seemed like he would never retain Abe’s title as a champion angler as a result. However, Bart artificially inflated his father’s score by filling his catch with marbles, increasing its weight and ensuring Homer won the contest. While Homer’s lack of fishing skills was a new character change for this episode, this moment allowed Bart and Homer to bond when Homer praised his son’s ingenuity. Much to Bart’s surprise, Homer couldn’t have cared less about Bart’s cheating, but was delighted that his son had looked out for him.
Why Homer Strangling Bart Is So Controversial
Before Homer hugged Bart, he was contorted with rage, and it seemed inevitable that he would attack him. This scene was clearly designed to mislead viewers into thinking that Homer would strangle Bart, but this recurring gag is controversial for good reason. Corporal punishment has become a lot less acceptable since the series started in 1989, so the show’s decision to hold onto this famous gag regardless has been the subject of some debate. The Simpsons has been criticized for many problems, from over-reliance on celebrity cameos to repetitive storytelling. However, Homer’s abuse of Bart is one of the more serious scandals The Simpsons has sidelined.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is a long-running animated TV series created by Matt Groening that satirically follows a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield. Homer, a bit of a schmoe who works at a nuclear power plant, is the provider for his family, while his wife, Marge, tries to keep sanity and reason in the house to the best of her ability. Bart is a born troublemaker, and Lisa is his super-intelligent sister who finds herself surrounded by people who can’t understand her. Finally, Maggie is the mysterious baby who acts as a deus ex machina when the series calls for it. The show puts the family in several wild situations while constantly tackling socio-political and pop-culture topics set within their world, providing an often sharp critique of the subjects covered in each episode. This series first premiered in 1989 and has been a staple of Fox’s programming schedule ever since.
- Release Date
- December 17, 1989
- Cast
- Tress MacNeille , Julie Kavner , Harry Shearer , Pamela Hayden , Nancy Cartwright , Hank Azaria , Dan Castellaneta , Yeardley Smith
- Genres
- Animation , Comedy
