Summary

• The Simpsons
  Season 36 must learn from its recent successes and failures to maintain its critical acclaim.
• Recent seasons have shown improvement by focusing on Marge and developing stronger storylines for her character.
• For a successful 36th season, the show should continue to rely on popular tricks and include more Marge-focused episodes.

While The Simpsons Season 36 could continue the show’s winning streak with critics, but to do so the series would have to learn from its weakest season, 35. The Simpsons has been on the air for over 35 years, so it’s no surprise that critics’ satisfaction has fluctuated over that time. At its peak The Simpsons was considered one of the best shows in the history of television as a medium. The so-called “Golden age” from The Simpsons began around seasons 2 and 3 and lasted, depending on the critic, until seasons 8, 9, or 10.

While The Simpsons Although season 36 cannot hope to repeat the critical success of those innovative first seasons, the series has experienced something of a revival in recent years. The Simpsons Seasons 34 and 35 were both seen as a huge improvement over their predecessors, after those seasons, 30-33, were dismissed as a critical low point for the series. The Simpsons Season 36 competitors will likely have a hard time beating the series, as the show doubles down on many of the tricks that made seasons 34 and 35 so popular. Season 34 featured two Halloween specials, so season 36 will feature three of them.

The Simpsons: Season 35, Episode 17 proved that Homer’s family stories need Marge

“The Tipping Point” focused too much on Homer’s antics

Admittedly, the third Halloween special of season 36 will be a Disney+ short film, but this approach still proves that The Simpsons learns from his recent successes. The Simpsons Season 36 must learn from the series’ mistakesif this winning streak with critics is to continue. Season 35, Episode 17, “The Tipping Point,” was the weakest episode of the series, bringing back many of the problems that had plagued the show for years. It featured a long sequence parodying an outdated meme, a supposedly current storyline that bore no relation to observable reality, and a lack of stakes.

What makes this episode a torment is the failure to portray the impact of Homer’s actions on Marge.

These problems combined to make “The Tipping Point” boring. The episode opens with Homer accidentally tipping a waitress $10,000, after which the townspeople celebrate his generosity. Homer then develops an addiction to tipping absurdly large amounts, which is a silly premise to begin with. What makes this episode a chore, however, is its failure to portray the impact of Homer’s actions on Marge. The Simpson family finances don’t have to be believable, but it’s hard to care about characters whose actions have no consequences. Marge’s worries about the family’s impending bankruptcy are ignored in favor of Homer’s perspective.

In season 35 of The Simpsons, Marge’s role was finally highlighted

Various episodes revolve around the most underrated Simpsons

Already The Simpsons‘ first episode, the series has always walked a fine line when it comes to Homer’s immaturity. Homer is an impulsive, childish character, but his heart is in the right place. After so many years, storylines about Homer and the eponymous family ignoring Marge’s inner world become tiresome. Viewers can only hear Homer’s concern that he doesn’t deserve Marge’s love after his latest silly plan backfires so many times before wondering how she feels about him. This is where season 35’s strongest episodes shined, as they put an underdeveloped character in the spotlight.

Homer only attracts Marge’s attention when he himself intervenes in the story.

Episode 13, “Clan of the Den Mother,” Episode 14, “Night of the Living Wage,” and Episode 2, “A Childhood Nightmare,” were all stronger in focusing on Marge’s perspective. What made these episodes so powerful was the realization that Marge’s world does not revolve around Homer. The Simpsons heroine spent most of her appearances in season 35 worrying about her children growing up too fast, Bart’s reputation, her own career, workers’ rights, and other important issues. Homer only gets Marge’s attention when he intervenes in the narrative himself. For example, in “Night of the Living Wage,” he took a job that put him against Marge’s union.

This problem was avoided by the sweetest moment of the 35th season of “The Simpsons”

Homer’s appreciation for Marge was shown in Season 35, Episode 17

This turn of events was truly surprising because it proved that Homer’s premature immaturity can cause real problems for MargeFor all The Simpsons‘ Retcons, perhaps the riskiest decision of season 35 was to portray Homer as a truly reckless, self-centered husband. He was more concerned with getting cheap fast food than improving his wife’s working conditions, and for a moment, Homer was portrayed as a truly despicable character in “Night of the Living Wage.” Similarly, episode 16, “The Tell-Tale Pants,” again showed Homer’s dark side, and that subplot again centered around Marge. As a result, this outing was stronger than “The Tipping Point.”

“The Tipping Point” focused solely on how Homer felt about the outrageous tip.

In “The Telltale Pants,” Marge treats herself to a small financial reward after years of Homer’s thoughtless complacency. Homer is initially outraged, a reaction that once again makes the series’ protagonist daringly unsympathetic. However, when Homer considers confronting Marge, he is suddenly confronted with all the thankless chores she does every day as a wife and mother, and instead reconciles with her. This storyline works far better than “The Tipping Point,” as the episode proved that Homer’s actions have a material impact on Marge, whereas “The Tipping Point” focused only on how Homer’s outrageous tip made him feel.

The Simpsons Season 36 needs more storylines with Marge

Homer’s plots work best as standalone stories

The Simpsons Season 36 would benefit from more storylines focusing on Marge, and the episodes that revolve around Homer should focus on him alone, rather than the family. In episode 1, “Homer’s Crossing,” or episode 15, “Cremains of the Day,” Homer’s antics affect him more than the family, and his actions are more engaging as a result. In contrast, “The Tipping Point” focuses on the family’s finances, but looks at the story only from Homer’s short-sighted, self-centered point of view. Homer’s self-centered worldview is a big part of what makes him such a funny character, and his thoughtlessness leads to some hilarious stories.

0.72 million viewers watched “The Tipping Point” as
The Simpsons
Episode first aired in May 2024.

However, “The Tipping Point” goes too far with a plot in which Homer wastes thousands of dollars on his tipping habit without examining the effect it has on his wife. The risks of Homer’s unhealthy hobby never seem as bad as they should be, as The Simpsons Episode doesn’t really explore its impact on Marge in any great detail. As a result, the episode proves that Homer needs solo adventures and Marge needs more screen time, something that the best episodes of Season 35 have underlined. With a little luck The Simpsons The upcoming episodes of season 36 will learn from the weakest episode of season 35.