The Simpsons Season 35 Undoes 1 Major Homer Revelation To Keep A Villain Streak Alive

While The Simpsons season 34 finale seemed to provide Homer with an epiphany, the show’s hero soon disregarded this insight in season 35, episode 12. The Simpsons‘ struggles with character development have only grown more pronounced the longer the series continues. The Simpsons has produced over 760 episodes and, in that time, the main characters have changed quite a lot. But no matter how many times Bart learns to be responsible or Marge finds an identity outside her family, the show’s status quo always resets.

Not unlike previous entries, The Simpsons season 35 has frequently revisited stories the characters have already been through before. Throughout this season, the Simpson family have pointed out how familiar their latest adventures are. In season 35, episode 11, “Frinkenstein’s Monster,” Homer quit his job for a new career and was informed that this was the “691st time” that he had done so by an unperturbed Smithers. Similarly, season 35, episode 7, “It’s A Blunderful Life,” saw Homer blamed for a mistake he didn’t make at work, only for his co-workers to point out the many major errors he’s made before.

The Simpsons Season 35 Episode 12 Proves Homer Is Still A Terrible Driver

While it is not unusual for the series to make self-effacing jokes about its repetitive storylines, it was strange to see The Simpsons season 35 episode 12, “Lisa Gets An F1,“ completely disregard the events of a recent series milestone. In the season 34 finale, “Homer’s Adventures Through the Windshield Glass”, Homer had a near-death experience while texting and driving and was humbled by this shocking event. This landmark episode was also the show’s 750th outing, but “Lisa Gets An F1” completely ignored Homer’s lesson about dangerous driving as he continued to prove a hazard on the road, much to Lisa’s chagrin.

Not only does Homer’s driving cause Lisa’s anxiety in “Lisa Gets an F1,” but he crashes his car while on a FaceTime call after leaving their shared therapy session. Homer’s accident in “Lisa Gets an F1” mirrors his crash in the season 34 finale, except that the season 35 episode plays this incident for laughs while the earlier episode mined it for drama. Since the Simpsons never age, it is not shocking when the characters learn life lessons but they don’t stick for good. However, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Homer dismissed something that almost killed him only a few episodes earlier.

Homer’s Episode 12 Arc Repeats His Biggest Season 35 Storyline

Homer’s car crash in “Lisa Gets An F1” and its comedic presentation aligns with a season 35 trend. There are a lot of Simpsons episodes that use Homer as their villain this season, with episodes 1, 6, 10, 11, and now 12 leaning into the greedier, more callous, and thoughtless side of the show’s antihero. While this occasionally results in surreal sights like Homer crashing his car only a few weeks after escaping a near-fatal car wreck, the approach nonetheless works. The Simpsons focusing on Homer’s dark side proves he’s a multifaceted character and gives many episodes a great temporary villain.

The Simpsons

Cast

Tress MacNeille , Julie Kavner , Harry Shearer , Pamela Hayden , Nancy Cartwright , Hank Azaria , Dan Castellaneta , Yeardley Smith

Release Date

December 17, 1989

Seasons

35

Network

FOX

Franchise(s)

The Simpsons