The Simpsons Season 36 Gives One of the Show’s Saddest Character Stories a Heartbreaking New Chapter

The following contains spoilers for The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 6, ‘Women in Shorts,’ now streaming on HuluThe Simpsons Season 36 gave one of the show’s saddest characters a surprisingly sweet storyline. One of the benefits The Simpsons Developing into such an adaptable show over the last few decades has been the way it’s been able to shift style and focus with ease between episodes while still maintaining the same sweet-natured core themes. Even outside of The Simpsons themselves, the importance of family, friendship, and joy in an otherwise cruel, bizarre, and dark cartoon world has been the driving force behind the entire series, keeping The Simpsons emotionally relevant for decades.

This has been one of the ways the show has managed to maintain a lighter touch even when focusing on dark plots like Moe’s persistent depression or Lisa’s failed efforts to find acceptance. One of The Simpsons‘The saddest plots highlight this duality in season 36’s ‘Women in Shorts.’ One of the best little stories in the vigilante-filled episode is a surprisingly sweet visit to a typically tragic corner of Springfield, highlighting the importance of these themes to the Springfield universe as a whole.

The Simpsons’ Season 36 Muntz Story Gives One of the Show’s Saddest Character Stories a Poignant New Chapter

The Muntzs have an adorable moment for a change

The story of Nelson Muntz and his mother in season 36’s “Women in Shorts” is a sweet short about the duo, who have consistently been one of the The Simpsons‘more tragic characters. “Women in Shorts” is an anthology episode, shifting the focus to Springfield in quick succession. This includes a vignette about Nelson and his mother, with the latter telling her son a bedtime story. Despite the typically prickly relationship Mrs. Muntz has with Nelson, the sequence is actually pretty sweet. Mrs. Muntz treats her son to a fantasy version of her night on the job at a local exotic club.

It’s a cute exchange between the two, especially when Nelson inserts himself into the story to help ensure Princess Muntzina is protected and taken to a nice dinner. The story ends with the pair hugging after Nelson tells his mother that she is his hero. It’s a non-ironically sweet moment between the duo that feels all the more surprising because of their previous interactions. Nelson always had some of the The Simpsons‘ sadder stories then it’s a very emotional development to see him and his mother getting along so well.

Nelson’s home life is one of The Simpsons’ saddest subplots

How Nelson went from a one-note bully to one of The Simpsons‘Best supporting characters

Introduced in the first season of “Bart the General,” Nelson Muntz was originally a one-note bully character and frequent antagonist of Bart. However, as the series progressed, Nelson was given more and more depth. Compared to the suburban lifestyle of the Simpsons and their neighbors, Nelson often lives in much harsher conditions. His father abandoned the family years earlier, with several episodes drawing attention to the emotional trauma this caused Nelson. Ms. Muntz supports herself and her son by working as an exotic dancerwhich has often been used as a dark source of comedy.

In stark contrast to many of her subplots with Nelson in ‘Women in Shorts’, Mrs. Muntz is shown to have a much more difficult relationship with her son. Episodes like season 16’s “Sleeping With The Enemy” highlighted their tumultuous family life, with Marge openly insulting Mrs. Muntz and opening the house to Nelson when she briefly abandoned her son to work as an actress. Despite all the comedic touches the character has received over the years, Nelson’s home life made him one of the The Simpsons‘most tragic charactersmaking small moments of joy like “Women in Shorts” even more impactful.

The story of Nelson and his mother speaks to the program’s central themes

The story of Princess Muntzina speaks to the central themes of The Simpsons

In the heart of The Simpsons is a story about a family united despite life’s bittersweet and bizarre challenges. It’s a lasting and universal message that has helped give the show longevity. Although many plots have explored this theme through the titular family itself, episodes like “Women in Shorts” highlights the importance of this central element for the rest of the series’ characters. Nelson and his mother may have comically bleak living conditions and turn stories of strip club fights into bedtime fantasies, but their love for each other is clear throughout the short.

The Simpsons has always been about finding love and happiness in strange, bittersweet circumstances, with many of the other “Women in Shorts” segments touching on that concept as well. The cutest one belongs to Nelson and his motheras it gives the sad subplot a sweet chapter for the first time and highlights a genuinely loving bond between them. The result is one of the best plot beats yet in The Simpsons season 36, and a reminder of the driving emotional core of the entire show.