The return of the controversial character of the Simpsons series finale explained

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 1

Although he is often blamed for heralding the end of the show’s Golden Age, The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 1 brought back one of its most controversial supporting characters ever. The Simpsons Was on the air for over 35 years and, during this time, its critical decline is well documented. It is widely agreed that the so-called Golden Age of The Simpsons Started around season 3 and ended before season 12, meaning 23 of the show’s seasons arrived after its peak. Despite this, recent years have seen Youtube Creators and critics like VultureJesse David Fox’s similar question whether The Simpsons is good again.

Seasons 34 and 35 of The Simpsons received significantly better reviews than the much-maligned seasons 30-33, so it was a surprise when The Simpsons Season 36, episode 1 announced itself as the series finale. In fact, “Bart’s Birthday” was the season premiere, but its elaborate self-parodic framing device presented the outing as an AI-generated finale for the long-running show. To that end, many supporting stars from earlier in the show’s history returned for Bart’s 36th birthday in episode 1, including a controversial character whose original arrival was closely linked to the decline of The Simpsons.

How the real Seymour Skinner started The Simpsons’ decline back in Season 9

The Major and the Pauper held future Simpsons problems

Martin Sheen’s Principal Skinner first appeared in season 9, episode 2, “The Principal and the Pauper,” Where the Vietnam veteran returned to his hometown of Springfield and revealed that Principal Skinner was a fraud. The episode’s weird storyline saw Shin’s no-nonsense veteran prove that the major, whose real name was Armin Tanzarian, assumed his identity when he thought Skinner had died in the war. The revelation was almost as wild as many The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 1 has extraordinary twists, but, surprisingly, it is not reconnected by the ending of the episode. Instead, the show found a novel solution.

To maintain the status quo of the show, the characters of The Simpsons Mass decided they were going to send the real Skinner out of town, reinstating Armin Tanzanian as “Major Skinner” and never mention the episode’s events again. The crude gag excoriated the ways sitcoms work around awkward plot twists, but not everyone was laughing. The pointlessness of the episode’s circular plot and its funny tone left many long-time Fans cold, and the outing’s newer, more pointed far-fetched writing received criticism.Many fans online still highlight the episode as the beginning of the end of the Golden Age of The Simpsons.

Why The Simpsons Brought Back The Real Skinner In Season 36

Skinner’s return proved that something was wrong in Springfield

It’s no surprise that “Bart’s Birthday” brought back the real Seymour Skinner, as the entire episode was designed to mock the show’s unchanging status quo. Presented as a potential series finale, “Bart’s Birthday” saw Principal Skinner and Police Chief Wiggum leave Springfield, Millhouse move to Atlanta, Lisa receive a scholarship to Juilliard, and Moe close his famous tavern. These events, along with Bart finally turning eleven, proved that the world of the series was finally, inevitably changing. This was a sham and normality was restored, but Skinner’s return to The Simpsons Reinforce the episode’s status quo disruption.

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