The Simpsons’ second Thanksgiving episode was one of the show’s worst and confirmed a worrying change

While The Simpsons There are many episodes that have been called the show’s worst release, a Thanksgiving special was a new low for the long-running show. The Simpsons It’s been around for a long, long time. The show has been on the air for 35 years, and in that time, the anarchic animated family comedy has aired more than 770 episodes. Even with The Simpsons With a 37th season renewal not confirmed, the show has already broken several records thanks to its historic longevity. As such, it is inevitable that some episodes of The Simpsons it simply doesn’t work.

From Season 11, Episode 13, “Saddlesore Galactica,” to Season 19, Episode 11, “That ’90s Show,” The Simpsons has many infamously flawed exits. That said, there are a few episodes that stand out as uniquely bad moments in the show’s wider critical reception. The end of the Golden Age of The Simpsons is often credited with season 9 episode 2, “The Principal and the Pauper,” although the show aired bad episodes before and after that release. Likewise, articles like What is Culture“The Exact Moment The Simpsons Lost Us” identifies the show’s decline for Season 12, Episode 5, “Homer Vs Dignity.”

Homer’s “Prank Monkey” Plot Was an Exceptionally Nasty Simpsons Story

The infamous episode was strangely unpleasant

As surprising as it may seem, “Homer Vs Dignity” is technically the second Thanksgiving episode of The Simpsons. Despite how uniquely American the show is The Simpsons didn’t focus on Thanksgiving as often as the show focused on Christmas and Halloween. There are over 38 Christmas Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials and over twenty Christmas episodes, but, as of season 36, only seven Thanksgiving episodes of the series have aired. The first of these, episode 7 of season 2, “Bart Vs Thanksgiving”, focuses directly on the holiday itself. The second, “Homer Vs Dignity”, had a markedly more complicated plot.

When Homer asks Mr. Burns for a raise, his villainous boss hires him to be his “Playful monkey.” This role involves humiliating yourself and others with embarrassing pranks, and Mr. Burns’ pranks cross the line into pettiness almost immediately. From throwing pudding in Leany’s face to being sexually harassed by a panda, Homer’s new role strips him of his dignity. This horrifies Lisa, who loses respect for her father despite how much money this new venture makes her. At the end of the episode, Homer turns down Burns’ offer of a million dollars for one last prank.

The Simpsons Adapted An Unpopular Comedy For This Hated Episode

“Homer Vs Dignity” was based on an obscure 1969 comedy film

Burns offers Homer the exorbitant sum to dress up as Santa Claus and throw fish guts at the children in the Thanksgiving parade, but Homer refuses as he cannot ruin Santa Claus if he wants to win back Lisa’s respect. In an ending as dark as any Treehouse of Horror joke, Burns simply dons the Santa suit and throws fish guts at horrified spectators. This ending is a fitting conclusion to an episode that is exceptionally unpleasant and tasteless, although the source material for “Homer Vs Dignity” may explain some of its inscrutable storytelling choices.

Directed by Joseph McGrath, 1969 The Magical Christian was one of John Cleese’s first films which also starred Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers. Adapted from Terry Southern’s novel of the same name, the satirical farce sees a billionaire hire a homeless man to play cruel and tasteless pranks on others. Just like “Homer Vs Dignity”, the adaptation was widely criticized by critics even before The Simpsons revisited its story decades later. The Magical Christianthe unpopularity of makes the decision to adapt the film for a Simpsons bizarre episodebut there is a motivation that could have shaped the choice.

The Simpsons Thanksgiving Episode Highlighted Season 12’s Problem

The long-running show struggled with the success of South Park and Family Guy

When the time comes The Simpsons Season 12 arrived, the show was struggling to maintain its position in the adult animation landscape. The Simpsons was greeted by a number of imitators when it became a global hit, and none of these shows lasted long. Capitol Creatures, Fish Policeand family dog were all canceled quickly, but the next generation of shows inspired by The Simpsons were not so easily ignored. 1997 South Park and 1999 Family Guy have become genuinely popular in their own right, offering an edgier, darker alternative to The Simpsons.

Out of The Simpsons‘ Treehouse of Horror specials, the show was not especially violent or shocking and generally remained family friendly. In what may have been a misguided attempt to compete with South Park and Family Guy, The Simpsons produced strangely dark and unpleasant episodes like “Homer Vs Dignity” that seemed to imitate its competitors. Season 11, Episode 15, “Missionary: Impossible,” and Season 11, Episode 10, “Little Big Mom,” featured similarly out-of-place shock humor and disjointed plots, though they had more redeeming moments. In contrast, the worst Thanksgiving special in The Simpsons the story highlighted the worst elements of this era.

Source: What is Culture