It’s been almost 36 years since The Simpsons first premiered on TV with the holiday-themed “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” thanks to whoever screwed up the episode that was supposed to be the show’s pilot.
While the episode looks and sounds a whole lot different from The Simpsons of today, the series has referenced its TV debut on a number of occasions recently.
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Perhaps the most memorable was the fourth wall-breaking “Lisa the Boy Scout,” which included a “deleted” Simpsons scene in which a middle-aged Bart travels back in time to the final moments of “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.” Once in the past, he provides his family with future knowledge (including Trump’s presidency) that will allow them to amaze the world with their “uncannily accurate predictions.”
And last year’s Christmas special, “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” contained a number of subtle nods to the series premiere, including the bird house “ornament” from Homer’s purloined Christmas tree.
Now, the most recent episode, “Bad Boys… For Life?” has similarly paid homage to the show’s yuletide origins – and for very good reason. It was co-written by Simpsons legend Al Jean, and it marks his final episode as a showrunner (although he will still be a part of the team in a new consulting producer role).
The flashback episode finds Homer and Marge attempting to diagnose Bart’s destructive outbursts. At a certain point, the emotionally abusive Homer exclaims, “He’s a pain the neck, he’s uncontrollable. He’s… He’s me!” after realizing that so much of Bart’s behavior is the result of him emulating his dad (including drooling over donuts).
As Jean recently pointed out to Cracked’s Brian VanHooker, this was a low-key callback to the touching moment in which Bart asks Homer if they can adopt Santa’s Little Helper and he responds, “But he’s a loser, he’s pathetic, he’s… a Simpson.”
“It’s a joke that I had pitched and got into the first Simpsons episode,” Jean explained. “That moment is special to me.”
It’s a nice full-circle moment for one of the show’s most important creative voices. And it didn’t even require any time travel.
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