It is that time again. It is the point where we ask ourselves: How much longer can The Simpsons possibly go on? Nowhere is it clearer that this opinion lingers on the writers and producers more than in the finale episode "Flanders' Ladder," where Bart imagines a world where everyone he knows is dead. The final images of the episode are a parody of the Six Feet Under finale where key cast members are all seem dying in upsetting and baffling manners. It may have been a fitting joke for such a dark episode, but it does make one think that The Simpsons is recognizing its mortality more than ever. It wasn't necessarily a stellar season - few of the past dozen or so seasons are - but it did show the waning appeal of a once beloved show. In a sense, what made season 29 sort of brilliant and sad is how it feels like a view of a show admitting its own death is imminent. Whether or not that's true is another story.
Unlike most seasons, the most noteworthy moment of the season wasn't the one they planned for. "Forgive and Regret" was the show's 636th episode, breaking the record of most episodes for a scripted series from Gunsmoke. This was to be a historic moment for the series. However, it was press that was buried underneath a different controversy in which the show's accusations of character Apu being a racist stereotype was met with the equivalence of a shrug. Many saw the show as being too set in its ways, causing the press to focus on the questions about whether they would solve the issue. To his credit, Hank Azaria later encouraged the show to hire more diverse writers... while on a press tour for his other show Brockmire. For as much of a behemoth as The Simpsons are in their quest to challenge the norm, this was a crushing blow that suggested that the times have changed, but the show hadn't.
It's something that could be true about any episode's premise. The joke was that "The Simpsons did it," but it's true probably 10 times over each accusation. It's not a terrible thing, as the changing culture allows certain concepts to continually be rich for humor. However, the idea that the show buried Apu following that controversy showed a weakness. It wasn't edgy anymore, instead choosing to just have fun. It's not terrible given that almost every character has some level of a caricature to them, but it still showed a lack of evolution that wasn't consistent. The show has addressed queer culture with more blatant sensitivity than their portrayal of Indians, and both were rather flamboyant at times. So really, how much longer can the show go back to the same old well without it being criticized?
It's a bummer because "Forgive and Regret" may be one of the recent seasons' best episodes given its heartfelt exploration of Grampa and Homer's fraught relationship. Its use of a cookbook motif allowed the show to understand the emotional motivations of Homer in both a tragic and comical way. Ironically, it was the start of the final few episodes in some way dealing with mortality. In three of the four episodes, someone was in the hospital with a struggle. It was mostly Grampa, who went from being on his deathbed to needing medical care in Denmark. Then of course there was "Flanders' Ladder," which is one of the show's most surreal episodes in quite some time, in which Lisa manipulates Bart's dreams to make him feel sympathy through doing good deeds. At one point he dreams of Homer being carried into heaven. Even if this is all a fantasy that in some way recalls an infamous April Fools episode from the 90's, it seems dark for a show to continually address death, especially when season finales have generally been more upbeat stories.
This isn't to say that the entire season had a dark edge. "King Leer" introduced Moe's mattress-selling family and gave him the most empathy that he's gotten in, well, years. "Springfield Splendor" found Marge and Lisa partaking on a very strange comic book project where they find interesting conflict when creative differences arise. The show has always had an ability to churn out one or two of these character driven episodes a season and make them land. This year was no exception, and it helps that these characters have such a rich endearment to begin with. There were some episodes that felt inessential (the medieval parody "The Serfsons"), but mostly because of their filler nature. Still, the show did what it did well this season and only ever stumbled when it did more than that.
It's a bit odd that a show that usually excelled when they tried something new was now finding it not working. The infamous Apu scene will likely be the season's legacy more than another odd symbolism. With Apu gone from majority of the season, one could assume that he's dead to the series. Likewise, the idea of thinking that the central cast will die as the closing credits of the series finale plays is another morbid concept. It may just be a dark, cynical joke meant to stand out. Or it could be that the show is giving a hint of something to come. It knows that it cannot go another 29 years, and is doing its best to counteract any enthusiasm that's held over from the famous "You'll Never Stop the Simpsons" song. Apparently they can, and these people want you to know it.
The Simpsons' other big issue is that they're pretty much out of big achievements to unlock after "longest running scripted show." They could go for shock, but it's not entirely the heart of the show anymore. They will be debuting the 30th season next year, and it should feel more momentous than it does. Right now it feels like the writers are either acknowledging their imminent death, or making fun of mortality as a concept. Either way, the show's end is on their mind in a way that hasn't felt apparent for some time. It's powerful, scary, and makes one wonder what a world without new episodes of The Simpsons would be. Maybe they wouldn't need to answer for anymore problematic characters if that happened. Maybe they will have some audience there to welcome them. It's hard to say. The show's never lost it entirely, but the final stretch of episodes definitely feels morbid enough to have been a eulogy, or a call to action.
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5
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